Double XIII
by Thalassa Promise
Summary: A year after Kingdom Hearts II, 4 new Key-Bearers have been chosen. With Organization XIII's inexplicable return, a powerful Heartless, and the deaths of both Riku and Kairi, there is a need for help. And are the rumors true that Sora's with Org. XIII?
1. A New Beginning

**Chapter I:**

**A New Beginning**

"You'd think with the great Keyblade Master running around, we wouldn't have to do this," Mei muttered, slashing her weapon into the back of a black monster. She straightened up, wiping her brow. That had been the last Heartless.

"Give him a break, Mei," Suki called to the older girl. She dusted her clothes and brushed her hair out of her eyes, staring at the other skeptically. Mei just huffed and turned away.

A young boy ran up to Suki and pointed to a scratch on his arm. She grinned softly and touched the wound, a green light covering it.

"Hiro!" another boy, an older one, shouted, following him. He put his hands on his knees and panted before looking up at Suki. "Thanks."

The four children were back up Key-Bearers. After the Keyblade Master's latest adventure, King Mickey decided to enlist the help of other powerful Keyblade wielders.

Mei was the oldest, being 18. She was tall and lean; bright orange hair covered her head and was usually pulled into short pig tails on either side of her head. She wore a tight, short pink spaghetti-strap tank top and a matching skirt with frayed edges. She had piercing sky-blue eyes and dark tan skin.

The next oldest was Paka, the boy that had been with Hiro. He was 16, the same age as the Keyblade Master. He had short dark blue hair that was messy and usually curved from his forehead into his lime green eyes. He wore a long sleeve tan shirt with a dark brown vest over top of it. His pants were brown as well, like his shoes. His skin was tan although it appeared lighter in contrast to his hair and clothes.

Suki was 13, the second youngest. She had shaggy light purple hair that was pulled back with a black headband and hazel colored eyes. She wore a white shirt with short, puffy sleeves and a black plaid skirt. She had fair skin, making her appear frail and breakable, but a heart of gold was inside of her.

Lastly was Hiro. He wore a sleeveless blue shirt and blue athletic shorts. He had a childish twinkle in his brown eyes, which was usual in a seven-year-old boy like him. He had short brown hair that matched his eyes and always seemed well-groomed. His skin was light and smooth and -- just as a child's will be -- covered with bruises and scratches caused by the silly things youngsters do.

The small group soon set up a camp in the Ravine of Radiant Garden. They pulled wood from the magical bags the King had given them to set up a campfire, then pulled out some onigiri for dinner. Paka summoned his Keyblade, Fantasmic!, and pointed its tip at the wood. A flame sparked from it and the campfire was complete. The four quickly pulled out sleeping bags and huddled near the fire as the night began.

The Key-Bearers had been chosen by King Mickey himself to help the Keyblade Master, Sora. The darkness was again growing in the universe, and it would be their job to help balance the light and the darkness again. They had been told to find the boy here, but they'd searched day in and day out in the world and there was no trace of him. Some of the town's people had heard of him or knew him, but none of them had seen him. It seemed they were losing hope.

Everyone settled themselves, a smug smile across Paka's face for he was satisfied with his fire. He looked to the others; every one of them tired and scratched up. He sighed.

"The Heartless just didn't stop today, huh?" he mumbled, looking back at the fire. Everyone remained silent for a while, thinking back on the hard day and all the other hardships they'd had recently. Even Hiro was still, exhausted from the battles. Mei finally looked up, irritation in her expression.

"Sora's obviously not here," she announced flatly. "Either that or he's really lazy. There were way too many Heartless, and if he's here… Well, it was selfish of him not to come."

"Mei," Suki said shortly but loudly. The older girl glared at her, but the violenette didn't look up at her. She kept an even stare on the ground as she spoke. "He's going through a hard time."

"We all are! Why should that give him an excuse--"

"It's different, Mei. He… He lost someone. They're… dead, you know. I heard it in town."

Mei's anger diminished quickly and was replaced with shock. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Paka also appeared surprised, paying closer attention to her words.

"He was with his friends, fighting off that… thing," Suki continued. "Remember how the King said Organization XIII is back? He was right. The Heartless thing Sora and the others were fighting came from them. They lost control of it, though, and it was destroying all the worlds. It's still out there." She looked around the crackling fire at her friends. The words sunk into their heads slowly and with a fearful realization. The orange glow of the fire gave the setting a ghost story-like feel, only the story was very, very real. "They tried to fight and kill it after it destroyed their home world. Only… Only it won. Riku and Kairi… were killed."

"Sora's in the Organization," Hiro added softly. "That's what I heard." Paka turned to the youth, a gentle smile crossing his lips.

"It's just a rumor," he replied. "Don't worry. Sora's still on our side." Hiro looked away, thinking. After a moment, he stretched and yawned, curling up next to the young man. The group decided to go to sleep then, knowing the next day would bring more troubles.

Morning came quickly for one of the four Key-Bearers. The golden sun pierced through the dark, falling onto their faces. Suki was the one to wake, standing slowly and looking around. It was foggy from the morning dew, and she couldn't see the canyon's edge. The violenette quietly went to Mei's side and nudged her slightly. She didn't stir; neither did the others when she tried to arose them.

Suki finally decided to go exploring, knowing this would be one of the only times she could be alone by choice. Her feet echoed softly as she left the group, going between the huge rock walls into a large, rocky plain. The fog closed behind her and she felt like she was miles away from everyone else. Although it was a nice illusion, she was paranoid. She had a strong gut feeling that something bad would happen if she stayed away from the others. Still, something else inside her told her to keep going, as if she'd find something important if she continued.

After several minutes, she again began to question why she was still going forward. The fog wasn't as dense as it'd been before, but it was still thick. She could see about 60 yards ahead now, but the end of the canyon was not in sight. The girl stopped, a loud sigh escaping her. The breath echoed like a hiss, growing louder instead of fainter. Confused, Suki peered into the fog. Dark masses formed in the fog, bright yellow orbs piercing through it. Instantly, she knew they were Heartless, and there were thousands. Her Keyblade, Heart of Gold, flashed into her hand as she prepared herself for the ambush. The monsters continued coming closer, excited at stealing the heart of their prey. The girl knew she wouldn't be able to defeat them all, and she was too far from the others to call for help. She wouldn't go down without a fight, but she would go down eventually.

In an instant, group after group of Heartless sprang at her. She fought violently, slashing her weapon this way and that to protect herself. She managed to kill a lot of them, but there were always six more to replace the one slain.

First one beast jumped onto her back, then another. And another. She was wearing down, unable to throw the Heartless from her back. They pulled her down; their weight caused her to fall to her knees. More of them leaped on her, tearing and scratching at any part of her body their claws could reach. She wanted to scream, but she was too exhausted to make a sound. She abandoned her Keyblade and brought her arms up to protect her face, waiting for the pain to stop and death to finally reach her.

However, the weight seemed to be lifted off her, and she cautiously opened her eyes. Suki looked up and saw someone in a black cloak, a hood covering their face. _The Organization!_ she thought. She attempted to pull herself up, but she collapsed on the ground. The hooded figure turned away from her, slamming a weapon into Heartless after Heartless. _Why would Organization XIII help me?_ she wondered.

After a couple of moments, all the Heartless were gone. There wasn't a scratch on the person who'd rescued her, and they hadn't spoken a word since they'd appeared. They lowered their weapon to their side and the violenette gasped. It was a silver and yellow blade; the end had a crown-shaped appendage, and a chain with the King's insignia dangled from the hilt. It was a Keyblade. More importantly, it was the Keyblade Master's Keyblade.

The cloaked figure, their back still to the girl, opened their free hand and a portal appeared in front of them. Instead of the usual dark portals the Organization summoned, it was gray. Suki stared at it, scared but also curious. The person began to walk to it, but also curious. The person began to walk to it, but stopped as she moved again.

"Is… that really you?" she asked hesitantly. Her voice was hoarse and quiet, seeming like a whisper. Yet the cloaked figure heard it and turned to her.

"Don't. Say it," the voice -- a male's -- ordered. It was deep and threatening, but Suki still heard kindness somewhere far inside it.

"You are. I know you are!" the girl pursued. The figure's free hand clenched into a fist and he raised his blade to point at her. The violenette put her arms up in a feeble attempt to defend herself. Instead of feeling the impact of a strike, a green light covered her and her wounds closed.

She slowly put her arms down, staring up at the man. He lowered his weapon and it flashed away. He turned on his heel and walked towards the bizarre portal.

"Stay out of my way, alright?" he said, stopping just before entering the portal. His voice had lost its hostility; the tone was unreadable. "And stay out of trouble. The next time the Heartless attack you, I'm just going to watch. If that. So, get out of here. More of them are coming."

"Why did you help me?" The boy didn't respond, disappearing into the gray portal. Suki sat for a moment more, in complete shock of what had just happened. The fog had cleared by this time, and she could see further in the canyon. Several miles away, a black group was slowly coming in her direction. It soon became apparent that something was wrong with the world. The Keyhole had somehow been unlocked, and the darkness would consume this world. There was nothing she, Mei, and the others could do about it.

Suki pulled herself up quickly and dismissed her Keyblade. Taking one last glance at the advancing Heartless, she bolted in the direction from which she came. She had to get to the others and they had to leave the world before the Heartless overran it.

"Mei! Paka! Hiro!" she screamed as she reached the group. "We have to get out of here! The world's gonna end!"


	2. Not Looking to Make Friends

Chapter II: Not Looking to Make Friends

Footsteps echoed down the hallway until they faded away. The steps belonged to a pair of black boots, worn by Number XIII of the Organization: Roxas. The spikey-haired blonde stalked down the white halls. Everything in The Castle That Never Was was white, save for the black cloaks all of the members wore.

The castle was the home of Organization XIII, but had been vacant until only recently. Sora, the Keyblade Master, had taken out the dark group with his friends. However, some strange, unknown force had brought them back, and their plan was to get revenge. They had captured a Heartless and performed several experiments on it until it was an unstoppable monster. They'd sent it to kill Sora and his friends, but things had gone terribly wrong.

Roxas walked out onto a balcony, surveying the street below. It was raining -- as was usual in The World That Never Was -- and the water reflected what was left of a heart-shaped moon's light. The blonde boy sighed, leaning against the castle's wall. _What's taking him so long? _he wondered, his eyebrows resting flatly over his eyes. There was a hiss and he turned around, crossing his arms as a cloaked figure emerged from a gray portal. One pair of midnight blue eyes met an identical set as the newcomer pulled their hood off.

"It took you long enough," Roxas teased, leaning against the wall again. He raised an eyebrow skeptically, noticing the other's weary expression.

"I got… caught up, alright? Where's Xemnas?" he asked. He was identical to Roxas, but his hair was brown and more spikey.

"He's the Superior," the blonde scolded. "As long as you're in the Organization, you call him that."

"And as long as I'm the Keyblade Master, he's not my superior. So where is he?" Roxas said nothing, still staring at him with a mixture of disapproval and worry. The brunette soon realized he wasn't going to get an answer from the Nobody, so he turned and started down the hallway. He wasn't sure who he was going to get an answer from, but he'd run into somebody eventually.

"Sora, wait," Roxas's voice echoed to him. He jogged up next to him, falling into step with him. "I'll come with you. You know everybody else… doesn't exactly like you."

"I'm not looking to make friends. I'm trying to do one thing, and one thing only. Otherwise, I'd never have joined the Organization."

"I know. I'm the only person you don't have to explain things to. I understand." The brunette allowed a small grin to show itself, but it disappeared almost immediately.

The pair's footsteps echoed as one as they walked down the hall. Roxas kept a couple paces ahead, making sure there was no one hiding around the corners. Luckily, none of the other members were waiting to ambush the Keyblade Master, so their trip up to the top floor of the castle was uneventful. However, Sora stopped halfway down the last hall. His head hung and he stared at the ground. Temporarily lost in thought, he stood like this for a moment.

"Since you understand," he began, breaking the silence, "then… why am I doing this? I know the Organization won't help me. You and Axel will try, but what am I really expecting to happen here? Xemnas can't just snap his fingers and bring them back." His voice cracked, and he paused for a moment. "Besides, I don't fit in here. Everybody here hates me. I hate them too. I killed them at one time, Roxas. Why in the worlds would they ever help me?"

"Having second thoughts?" Although the blonde had opened his mouth to reply, it wasn't his voice that boomed in the hall. Sora's head jerked up and Roxas spun around to face the speaker. He was taller than the two and had long silver hair. His eyes were a burning yellow color -- just like that of a Heartless's -- and his voice was loud and deep. The man took a step forward and folded his arms over his chest. Roxas bowed his head respectfully and muttered "Superior"; though at the exact same time, Sora kept his eyes locked on the man and said "Xemnas" in a flat tone.

Xemnas glanced at Roxas for a moment before returning the glare he received from the stubborn brunette. He stalked past the boy's Nobody to stand right in front of him, but he didn't back down like he'd hoped.

"Answer me, boy," he hissed. "Are you having second thoughts?"

"So what if I am?" the Key-Bearer retorted, his eyes narrowing. The Superior scoffed and broke the stare-down by looking away.

"If you are, then I have no reason to stop the other members from tearing you apart. How does that sound?"

"No more different than usual." Xemnas groaned, annoyed, and walked past him. The youth jumped out of the way, but kept his eyes on the man. Roxas stared at the two for a moment before coming up behind Sora and grasping his shoulder. He mentioned something about finding Axel, but the brunette shrugged him off and took another step towards the man.

"I took care of Radiant Garden," he stated. His tone was hollow, and his eyebrows were flat over his eyes. His face was unreadable. Xemnas stopped in his tracks and turned around slowly. A sly smile appeared on his face, but in his eyes there was uncertainty.

"You did, did you?" the man mused, looking back at Roxas. The blonde nodded, for he knew through his Other's pain that what he'd said was true. "Good. You can go to Twilight Town next --"

"No!" both Soras shouted. The Superior looked at them, amused with their defensive response.

"Number XIII," he continued, referring to both of them, "you know we must collect hearts. Only by doing this can we restore Kingdom Hearts completely. And you know what that means… about your little friends." The brunette finally broke his glare at Xemnas, looking to the ground. His stance relaxed, defeated, and a heavy but quiet sigh escaped him. There was silence for a moment; Xemnas was far past ready to leave, but he wanted to make sure his newest recruit would go on his assigned mission.

"Anywhere but there," Sora finally said. There was no plea in his tone, but it was obvious that he wouldn't go on this mission. The Superior raised his hand to his face and squeezed his brow with his forefinger and thumb.

"Why?"

"There are… other Key-Bearers. They're headed for Twilight Town." Roxas realized what was bothering his Other, and he took a step forward and pulled him gently back.

"We should lure them to another world," he finished for him. "Then Sora and I can unlock Twilight Town without any interruptions." Xemnas considered this for a moment. He couldn't understand why the two wouldn't want to face the heroes themselves, but they still made a good point.

"Fine," he eventually agreed. "However, Sora will not be going with you, Roxas. Instead, Xaldin will accompany him." Sora groaned loudly, then turned on his heel and stomped off. Roxas watched after him, quickly turned to Xemnas with a nod, then ran after the brunette.

It wasn't long before the two were matching strides down the hall. Both knew that they didn't want to fight the new Key-Bearers, which was why they were avoiding going to Twilight Town. The two turned a corner, the brunette almost running into another Organization member. He looked up, his body already tense, bracing itself for a beating. However, the other looked down at him, backed up slowly, then quickly strode past him. Sora looked at his Nobody, confused.

"Demyx," he explained, and the Other nodded.

They continued on silently, with Sora boring his eyes into the floor constantly. Neither of them were sure where they were headed in The Castle That Never Was; all they cared about was staying away from the rest of Organization XIII, and hopefully find a fiery red-head. They had no such luck in finding him, but they didn't encounter anyone else. They figured the Superior was briefing them on the newest mission. Sora swallowed hard, hoping he hadn't just sealed the other Key-Bearers' fates.

"Why are you worried about them?" Roxas asked as they reached the lowest floor.

"What?"

"The Key-Bearers. Why do you care about them? You've never met them, and you have no real connection to them. Why bother?"

"It's more than that. I… I'm supposed to be on their side. I'm supposed to be their ally, no their enemy." Roxas opened his mouth to argue, but he could tell through his Other's soft tone that his mind -- no, his heart -- had already decided to regret this. He couldn't argue against that.

Several moments of silence passed between the pair as they watched the rain fall down onto the street. They were waiting for the inevitable, still racking their minds in hopes of finding another way to bring Kingdom Hearts back. They knew there was no other solution, so Sora leaned against the wall and tried to sleep. He opened his eyes and a thin, tall man was heading toward them. He tapped Roxas on the shoulder, who turned and saw the man, making him smile brightly.

"Yo, Double XIII," the newcomer called. He had red spikey hair and diamond-shaped marks under his eyes. His eyes were a piercing green, one of the few members that had that color in their eyes.

"Axel!" Roxas cried. "Where've you been?"

"Talking to Mr. Superior," the red-head yawned. "Some new plan to deal with some new Key-Bearers or whatever. Supposedly we're doing this to help you, Sora. I don't get why we don't just--" He cut himself off, seeing the brunette's gaze fall back to the ground. The boy looked up the steps to see another member. He had dreadlocked hair that was pulled into a ponytail. He had large, black sideburns on his face, and his dark eyes were glared daggers back at him. Xaldin.

"Gotta go," the Keyblade Master muttered, then left the company of his two "friends". Xaldin opened a portal of pure darkness and went inside to Twilight Town. Sora stared at it for a second, then opened his own twilit portal. There had to be a way he could stop this.


	3. King of the Hill

Chapter III: King of the Hill

Hiro ran down the street, chasing after a ball he'd kicked. Paka laughed and chased after him. Suki watched silently as she leaned against a building. It was as if the twilight sun was melting onto the town, giving everything a golden-orange glow. Of course, that's how it always is in Twilight Town. Suki was still thinking about her encounter with Sora back at Radiant Garden. It really was true. The Keyblade Master was in the Organization. She hadn't told anyone. She was still trying to figure it out herself. Why would he help the people responsible for killing his best friends?

One thing she did know was that Radiant Garden was gone. Consumed in darkness. They hadn't been able to stop it. Even after all of the Heartless they'd defeated, there'd still been millions left.

"It's not your fault," Mei's voice made Suki jump. "About Radiant Garden, I mean. You did what any of us would have."

"Mei… I haven't told you--" Suki started, but a ball flew at her. She shrieked and ducked and the ball hit the wall with a _thunk_. She looked up and saw Hiro and Paka running towards her, giggling.

"Hiro!" she scolded.

"Sorry, Suki," Paka started. "That was me. Some kids were teaching us this game. It's called Entertainer. You try to keep the ball up as long as possible--"

Paka's voice cut off as he noticed Suki's sad expression. He opened his mouth to ask what was wrong, but she began to walk away.

"Suki--"

"I just need to think."

Paka watched helplessly for a moment as the back of her violet head bounced away. He glanced at Hiro and Mei, then jogged after Suki. Her head disappeared around the corner of the Tram Common, so he quickened his pace. However, by the time he reached the corner, she was gone.

The Tram Common was one of the largest areas in Twilight Town. This knowledge discouraged Paka, but he continued his search. He called her name and looked in all of the nooks and crannies in the plaza. He spoke with some of the shopkeepers to see if they'd seen Suki. There were so many people there, so none of them could say they'd seen her with any confidence. Paka half noticed the passageway to the Underground Concourse was open, but he didn't think he'd seen her go that way.

He quickly peeked down the street into the Sandlot. It was empty, so he decided she had to be in the Underground Concourse. It wasn't dark inside, but it was kind of confusing. There were several signs that guided him, however, so he didn't get lost. No one was inside, and he called for her. No response.

Paka finally gave up and started down the number 2 passageway. It took him a moment to realize he was traveling down. He hadn't checked here, so he continued forward. The narrow passage in the far left corner. The room was vacant, so he went into the end of the tunnel, and he stepped out.

He found himself in a small town. It was still Twilight Town; he could tell from the same type of streets and people. He looked up at the sign above his head. It read _Sunset Terrace_. He vaguely remembered seeing that as a destination at Central Station. Paka smiled to himself. Suki had to be here.

Again he asked people if they'd seen her, but no one had. He'd thought it'd be easy to find her since there were less people here, but he was wrong. Sunset Terrace was huge. He had to catch a tram to get to the other side of the town. He kept looking out the window at the people, but he couldn't find Suki. When he got off the tram, he explored a little more. It did him no good. He was about to give up and ride a train back to Mei and Hiro when he saw a sign pointing up to a hill. Sunset Hill… that sounded like a place Suki would go.

Paka trudged up the hill, which was a lot steeper than he thought. It struck him as strange that no one was going up or coming down from the top. The sign had seemed to advertise it as a great place to watch the sunset, which was only about a half-hour away. There was a ridge near the top of the hill, blocking his view as he turned the last bend. He stopped suddenly. He heard voices. And they were definitely not Suki's.

"…locked the Keyhole here," one voice was saying, "so who knows where it is."

"I swear, you're taking me in circles," another voice, a deeper one, replied shortly.

"I know. It just makes sense that it'd be up here. Maybe if we wait until sunset--"

"Sunset! We don't have that kind of time. The Superior said we were to find the Keyhole and destroy this world as quickly as possible."

"Fine. We'll search the town then. But if it's here and we miss it, I'm gonna laugh."

Paka gasped. These voices had to belong to the Organization. He heard them approaching and climbed over the ridge and hid in a bush. He would lock the Keyhole after they left. He got a good look at them. One had his hood up, but he could identify his voice as the higher one because he was so much shorter than the man accompanying him. He recognized him as Xaldin.

The two were just out of sight when Paka stood and quickly walked to the center of the hill. There was the sound of a sword unsheathing and a flash of light as he summoned his Keyblade. Fantasmic! looked a lot like StarSeeker, except it had suns instead of stars, and more suns in place of moons. He looked around for the Keyhole but saw nothing. In that short moment, he heard the hooded boy shout: "The Keyhole!" Paka knew they were coming back. He didn't have enough time to hide.

The hooded boy came running up the hill. When he caught sight of Paka, he halted. He was slightly stunned. Xaldin followed him a moment later, and smiled at the Key-Bearer.

"Thought you would lock the Keyhole, did you?" he cooed. Paka's shock was wiped away quickly and he gripped Fantasmic! tightly. He gritted his teeth and his brow furrowed.

"Yeah, and I'm going to!" he snapped. Xaldin laughed and looked at the hooded boy.

"Well? You can prove yourself now. Kill him." The hooded boy looked up at him. His body language suggested he was caught off-guard. After a moment of hesitation, he gave a brief nod. He turned to face Paka and approached him slowly. Paka took a wary step back at first, then held his ground. His opponent was only two yards away.

"You're making a big mistake," the hooded boy said quietly, only for Paka to hear.

"What are you talking about!?" he demanded loudly. The hooded boy waved his hands in front of him slightly, trying to get him to quiet down. Paka figured that he was just trying to distract him. That wouldn't work, he decided, because he was going to strike first.

He stabbed forward and the hooded boy jumped out of the way. He hesitated, expecting him to draw a weapon. He didn't, so he struck at him again. He swiped his blade across from left to right, catching a little cloth from his opponent's cloak. Paka had him against the fence now, so he swung down at his head. The boy side-stepped quickly, again avoiding his assault.

"You really should listen to me," the hooded boy said quietly, a hint of frustration in his voice.

"Why should I?" Paka retorted, attacking again. He missed. "It's your fault they're dead! Riku and Kairi are dead because of your actions!"

Suddenly, the hooded boy stopped. There was a flash of light near his hand; it was blinding. And in an instant, Paka found himself on the ground on his back, in a great deal of pain, with a Keyblade inches from his face.

"You are so _stupid_," the hooded boy growled above him. His voice was low and harsh, but shaking. The Keyblade was trembling too. From this position, Paka could barely see his opponent's eyes. They looked… sad.

The boy raised his Keyblade and was about to bring it down on him when he gasped. His Keyblade disappeared and he grabbed his head. He staggered back, groaning, then inexplicably collapsed on the ground.

"Agh… my head… Kai… K…" he mumbled. He didn't move.

Xaldin stared at the hooded boy, then back to Paka.

"Hmph," he snorted. "I guess that means I'll have to finish the job myself." Two lances appeared in his hands and Paka quickly stood. He still felt weak, but at least he could stand. At first he was surprised Xaldin wasn't worried about his fallen comrade, but then he remembered that he was a Nobody. Nobodies had no feelings. So why had the hooded boy been so explosive when he'd brought up Riku and Kairi?

Paka really had no more time to wonder about that, as Xaldin was stabbing at him with his lances. He dodged the first and parried the second, but Xaldin still managed to glance his arm. He took in a sharp breath and grabbed his wounded arm. This was not looking good. A blast of wind pushed Paka back and he stumbled into the fence. Xaldin summoned up another lance, and it floated in the air, it's tip aimed at Paka's chest. He stabbed one of the lances into his loose sleeve, and then the other, pinning both his arms to the fence. He struggled, trying to break free of the lances, but it was no use. Xaldin laughed heartlessly.

"You really aren't worth my time," he mused, still chuckling. "But I have orders to kill you on-sight. It's a shame you weren't more of a challenge."

Paka braced himself and squeezed his eyes shut. _This is it_, he thought. There was a _thwack! _and he waited. He didn't feel any pain. He felt the lances pinning his arms up pull away, one by one. Cautiously, he opened his eyes. Next to him was the hooded boy, prying the lance out of his left sleeve. Xaldin was on the ground, the lance laying next to him.

"Did you…?" Paka stuttered, breathless.

"No, he's just unconscious," the other boy replied flatly. "But if anyone asks, I was aiming at you." That was when Paka noticed a Keyblade a couple feet from Xaldin. The hooded boy must have thrown it at him. Thrown it well and with accuracy to knock him out like that. But… why?

The hooded boy finally managed to get the lance out of the fence. As he did, all three disappeared in a gust of wind. He looked back at Xaldin and let out a sigh.

"How in the worlds am I going to explain this one?" he muttered to himself. Paka could do nothing but stare back and forth between him and Xaldin as he paced over to him. There was silence for a moment, then the hooded boy turned back to Paka.

"You're wrong," he stated. "About before. I'm not the reason he's dead. I would never kill my friend. And I'm going to do anything to bring him back, even this." He held out his arms to demonstrate himself, or was it his cloak? Things were beginning to click in Paka's head.

"I don't think the Keyhole's here," the hooded by continued. "And even if it was, it'd do you no good to lock it." The Keyblade faded away on the ground and appeared in his hand. "It's too easy to unlock. But, if you… and say, some friends, locked it together, there's no way I could undo that bond. You have friends, don't you?"

"Yeah… Mei, Hiro, and… Suki. Suki! Do you know where she is?"

"Suki…" It sounded like he laughed a little. He muttered something about that "brave girl". His Keyblade disappeared and he started to hoist Xaldin up. "Nope. Never heard of her. One thing's for sure: She's not here. Find her. Don't you have something you need your friends for?"

Even in the shadows of his hood, Paka thought he saw him smile a little. Then, before he could do anything, the hooded boy opened his right hand and a Corridor of Twilight appeared. He managed to get both himself and his unconscious partner inside. The corridor disappeared and Paka stood there for a moment, stunned.

"Sora," he croaked, his mouth dry. Over the hill, the sun was setting. The Keyhole wasn't here. Although he hadn't realized it was still in his hand, Fantasmic! went away in a flash of light. He knew he had to find Suki and the Keyhole. The Keyblade Master had told him to. The last train was going to leave for town soon. Paka finally snapped out of his shock and ran down the hill. He had a job to do.


	4. Nobody's Tears

**Chapter IV: **

**Nobody's Tears**

Suki dodged the crowds in the Tram Common. She could hear Paka calling for her, but she didn't wait for him. She continued to travel away from him. She'd been so close to telling Mei about Sora, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. Before she knew it, she was on the other side of Tram Common. She paused and looked around. Where could she go to be alone?

_HONK!!!_ Suki screamed and spun around. A tram was speeding towards her, and she was on the tracks. She sprang forward and the tram whizzed past her, ruffling her hair and clothes. That had been close. She looked up and saw a wall. But in the corner there was a hole that led to a dense forest. The violenette hesitated. Surely no one would be back there. But there was a haunting aura about it that made her uneasy. She heard Paka call her name again. She had no choice, so she went inside.

The forest wasn't as dense as she thought it would be. The trees were tall and it was kind of dark, but she could see the way out fairly easily. She weaved in and out of trees, her feet softly crunching in the grass. As she left the shelter of the woods, she gasped. There, in a clearing, was one of the largest buildings she'd ever seen. There was a large gate in front of it, but it was open. Curiosity got the better of the violenette and she quickly walked inside.

Inside the mansion, she was greeted by a large cobweb. She swiped at it and spit it out of her mouth for a moment, then opened her eyes and stared in wonder. The mansion was old and broken down, but it was large. There was hardly any furniture inside, and what was there was broken. Even though she took the quietest steps she could, it echoed loudly. Suki soon realized no one was inside, so she became less timid and decided to explore the entire building. Although she wanted to explore the main floor first, she soon found that all of the doors were either blocked or locked. She was discouraged, but she still climbed up the steps to the second floor.

She turned to the left, looking at a couple of pictures that hung on the wall. They were cracked and hung at odd angles, like something bad had happened here. Suki shivered involuntarily. She finally reached a door, so she turned the doorknob, expecting it to be locked. Much to her surprise, it turned and the door opened without a sound.

The room she walked into was blinding, as everything inside was completely white. A gasp escaped her lips as she noticed the hundreds of drawings that were scattered around. There was a long table in the middle of the room with a chair at each end. A vase of flowers sat on the table as well as several more drawings. On the opposite wall, there was a large window covered by a curtain.

Suki cautiously stepped further into the room and picked up one of the sketches on the table. She could easily identify the three people sitting on a tree in the picture: Sora, Kairi, and Riku. She laughed weakly and put the paper down.

"Sora," she whispered, "I'm so sorry. But you don't have to do this. They wouldn't want you to." She quietly paced over to the other side of the room and examined a pair of pictures on the wall. Both were hand-drawn, and Suki concluded that the same person had drawn all of the pictures. _They're so pretty,_ she thought. _It must've taken a long time to draw all these._

The drawing on the left was of Sora and a blonde-haired boy wearing a black cloak. That must've been Roxas. They were standing together symbolizing their connection as Nobody and Other. Suki thought she'd heard about this picture before. The other drawing was faded and she could barely make out what it was supposed to be. She figured out it was of the Clock Tower at Station Plaza, and that Axel and Roxas were there. But there was a third, barely visible person present. She had never heard of anyone hanging around Roxas and Axel. She carefully removed the picture from the wall.

She held it close to her face and squinted at the figure. Who was it supposed to be?

"Who are you?" Suki asked the sketch.

"I've been asking the same thing since I came back." The violenette gasped and spun around clutching the drawing to her chest. In the doorway stood a cloaked blonde with spiky hair and blue eyes. He smiled softly at her and slowly walked towards her. She could only stay still and stare.

"I remember Axel and sea-salt ice cream," Roxas said. "Every day after our missions, we'd go to the clock tower and have ice cream and watch the sunset. I don't remember that one's face. Their name… the sound of their voice. But I know they were important to me."

Suki relaxed and looked at the picture again. She sighed sadly on the behalf of Roxas. It would be terrible to forget someone important to you. She thought about what she would do if she ever forgot about Mei, Paka, and Hiro. Upon thinking about them, she felt guilty. She was avoiding them, and they only meant her well.

Silently, Suki handed the drawing to Roxas. When his fingers touched it, the faded figure seemed to become clearer. It was wearing a black Organization cloak and had black hair and blue eyes. Both Roxas and Suki stared at the figure, who before their eyes appeared as a girl.

"Are you sure… she was ever with you?" Suki asked almost silently. Roxas exhaled and looked away.

"I know there's someone there," he replied. "But I just can't remember her. Her presence is there, but she isn't. If I could just see a clear picture of her face… then maybe I would remember."

Suki gazed at Roxas sympathetically. She put the drawing down on the table and took the seat at the head of it. The chair rocked unevenly, so she got up to look at its legs. Under one of them was a little piece of paper folded up. Suki pulled it from under the chair and carefully unfolded it.

There was a long letter on the back:

_Dear Roxas,_

_Although I know you'll do the right thing in the end, I still wish that you could find this. It is the only part left of her. I had to draw it when she came so that only I would remember _all _the memories. It was so hard for her to go confront you, and I would give anything to not have to do the same. But you have to become part of Sora, Roxas. I know you will make the right choice, despite the fake memories I've given you and the real memories that you've lost. But remember that you and she are the same, and that you'll never truly be apart._

_Naminé_

Naminé, Kairi's Nobody. She had drawn these pictures and rewritten Sora's memory. Cautiously, Suki flipped the paper over and she gasped in awe and shock. There was a perfect portrait of a young, black-haired Kairi. She was smiling in the picture, and the light in her eyes made her look real. Roxas heard her and looked over her shoulder. He remained silent, but took the drawing and walked to the other wide of the room with it.

"She… had a Keyblade like me," he muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. "We couldn't remember our past like everyone else… And she ran away. But I went after her. She told me… that we belonged with Sora. She disappeared, and she said that I would forget her… Xion."

Suki looked at him sympathetically and was surprised to see a tear roll down his cheek.

"Roxas," she whispered, "you're crying." A feeble laugh escaped him and a couple tears fell to the ground. She acme to his side to comfort him, but hesitated. The tears on the ground were glowing. It took a moment for the blonde Nobody to notice, but when he did, he took a step back.

The tears grouped together and seemed to grow. They _were_ growing, and they grew to form a complete body. It shone brightly, forcing Roxas and Suki to shut their eyes.

"Roxas… you remembered," a soft voice said warmly. Roxas opened his eyes to meet a matching pair a couple feet away. The owner of the voice was female and wearing a black Organization XIII cloak with the hood drawn. Her mouth could be seen, and it was curved up into a sweet smile.

"Xion," Roxas gasped as she pulled off her hood. "But… how? What about Kai-- wait, who?" Suki stared at him. Why hadn't he just said K… K…? Why couldn't she remember? She squeezed her eyes shut, visualizing a red-headed girl that was best friends with Sora and Riku, who had just been killed. Kairi. That's who she was. She opened her eyes and saw Xion's face. She was identical to Kairi, except she had black hair. Was she the reason they'd forgotten Kairi? Had Sora forgotten Kairi too?

This didn't seem to bother Roxas, however. He was beaming, taking Xion's hands and talking excitedly. Xion smiled pleasantly, then her eyes fell on Suki. She studied her silently, giving the violenette an uneasy feeling. Once Roxas stopped talking, the black-haired Kairi gave him a distracted nod and pulled her hands from him. She took a step towards her, then stopped.

"Who is this?" she asked quietly.

"Oh, uh…" Roxas hesitated. "She's one of the Key-Bearers. She helped bring you back."

"I-I'm Suki," she stammered. Xion extended her hand.

"I'm Xion. It's nice to meet you, Suki." She didn't take her hand and looked away. The ravenette was confused, but dropped her hand to her side. She nodded slightly, like she understood, but Suki wasn't sure she knew what that meant. Xion turned her attention back to Roxas with a smile.

"So, when are we going back?" she inquired brightly. "I can't wait to see Axel again."

"We can go right now!" Roxas exclaimed. "Axel will be so happy. This'll be great!" The blonde opened his right hand and a Corridor of Darkness appeared. He motioned for Xion to go first, but she shook her head.

"Go first. I'll catch up," she told him. "I promise." Although he was a little unsure, he finally nodded and disappeared in the darkness. The portal stayed open, but she didn't go inside. Instead, she turned to Suki.

"You knew that if I touched you, you would forget her, didn't you?" she asked. Suki raised an eyebrow. She opened her mouth to ask who, but she stopped.

"Kairi. Suki, you must remember her," Xion said earnestly. "Anyone who sees me will begin to forget her. Even Sora will once I step foot in the castle--"

"How did you know he's there? With them?" Suki interrupted.

"I am made up of Sora's memories of Kairi. I remember things as he does. As of now, I can barely remember that she was killed, and that's why he joined Organization XIII. But I can feel those memories fading from him into me. Soon he won't remember her at all, but I will. No one will remember but me after a while."

"Then why are you telling me not to forget if you know that I will? Why do I need to remember if you remember too?"

"Because I won't be able to tell him. He may not be able to see me, or I may appear as someone he sees as a threat. I can't control what I look like to him. It may cost me my life to appear in front of him, but that doesn't matter. I will try to remind him of Kairi, but her name may not be in his heart anymore. But _you_ can show him this."

Xion picked up a piece of paper off the table and gave it to Suki. It was the drawing of Sora, Kairi, and Riku on a tree. Already, Kairi's picture was fading like Xion's had in the other sketch.

"Remember her, Suki," Xion pleaded, taking a step towards the Corridor of Darkness. "Don't tell anyone about me, or they'll forget her too. Kairi's life is in your hands now. Bring her back like you did me."

Without another word, Xion stepped though the Corridor of Darkness and disappeared. Suki stood still for a moment and glanced down at the picture. Carefully, she folded it up and put it in her pocket. She strode silently to the large window and moved the curtain out of it. The sun was setting over Twilight Town. It was time to tell her friends the truth.


	5. Placing the Pawns

Chapter V: Placing the Pawns

A Corridor of Darkness opened in front of the Number VII chair in the Round Room. The chair was one of thirteen, meant for each member of Organization XIII. They were placed in a circle and the room was white, much like the rest of the Castle That Never Was. The room was usually used for meetings, but lately at least one chair was empty every time. Xemnas slowly turned to face the chair as Saïx appeared. The man with blue hair looked irritated, so Xemnas spoke first.

"Is something wrong, Saïx?" he asked flatly, since he didn't -- or couldn't -- care. "Has Number XIII returned with Xaldin?"

"Oh, he's back," Saïx growled. "Xaldin's unconscious." Xemnas didn't look surprised, but he was confused. He knew Sora and Xaldin were more like enemies than partners, but he hadn't expected the Keyblade Master to openly attack him. This would not go over well with the rest of the Organization, but he figured a little beating would get the boy in line. His Nobody wasn't back yet, so he couldn't interfere this time.

A casual grin spread across Xemnas's face.

"I'll go speak with him," he finally replied. "Do the others know?" Saïx shook his head. "Keep it that way for now." With that, the Superior created a corridor and disappeared from the Round Room.

When Xemnas appeared, Sora was struggling to lay Xaldin on the floor. His hood was still up from his mission and the front of his cloak was torn. Odd; Xaldin wasn't the slashing-type, but more of a stabber. Yet he wasn't shocked Sora had defeated him _again_. Xemnas cleared his throat and crossed his arms over his chest. Sora jumped a little and turned to face him, flipping his hood down.

"What do we have here?" the silvernette mused, tapping his fingers on his arm. Sora looked quickly back at Xaldin, and when he made eye-contact again, he had a slightly panicked expression.

"For once, it really isn't what it looks like, and I'm not just saying that," the boy defended. Xemnas just raised a brow. "See, we were looking for the Keyhole and one of those Key-Bearers showed up. Xaldin made me fight him and… I, uh, lost. So then Xaldin fought him and was about to kill him when… the other ones showed up. I'd gotten up by then, but one of them had knocked Xaldin out before he saw them. I would've fought them, but four-on-one is hardly fair."

Xemnas scoffed. If it was a lie, it was very well put together. However, he didn't believe that the brunette had lost. The way he'd hesitated had given him away. He would have to ask Xaldin about it later. Xemnas sighed and paced the floor, noticing how Sora would keep himself angled at him no matter where he went. There was nothing to do with him now.

"Just… go to your room," Xemnas groaned. "I'll send Saïx for you later. And pick up a new cloak on the way." Sora stared at the man evenly, then turned away and disappeared down the hall.

Xemnas waited for him to be out of earshot, then turned to Xaldin. He approached him and opened his hand over him, casting a green light over him. Slowly, the ravenette opened his eyes and sat up. After a moment, he stood, grimacing and rubbing the back of his head.

"What happened?" he asked, his words slurring together a bit.

"I was about to ask you the same thing," Xemnas answered, shaking his head. "Do you remember anything from the mission?"

"Hmm…" There was a pause as Xaldin thought. "The brat and I were looking for the Keyhole and we found a Key-Bearer. I made him fight him to prove his loyalty, and he did very well. It wasn't long before the other kid was on the ground about to be killed… when… our brat just collapsed. I went to finish off the Key-Bearer, but I passed out. I don't know what happened."

Xemnas nodded. It fit Sora's story well enough, but there was still something wrong with it. He told Xaldin about the other Key-Bearers that had shown up, or at least what Sora had said. At first, Xaldin seemed to believe it, but then his expression grew skeptical.

"I don't trust him," he muttered. "Maybe it's because the kid killed me a year ago. But I don't think that other kid would've been so terrified if he'd known back-up was coming."

"I agree, Xaldin," Xemnas replied solemnly, opening a Corridor of Darkness. "I will make sure a short leash is kept on him. You are dismissed." Xemnas then disappeared back into the corridor.

He reappeared in his seat in the Round Room. Saïx was still there, the same aggravated expression on his face. Xemnas slowly and calmly told him what he'd heard from both Sora and Xaldin.

"Now, I need you to go assign these missions," he finished, and a black notebook appeared in Saïx's hands. He flipped it open and scanned the page, causing a smug smirk to appear.

"Very wise, Superior," he chuckled. Another corridor appeared and he faded away into darkness.

Saïx reappeared in the Grey Area, which was a lounge-like room for the members of Organization XIII. There were four people in the room: Luxord, Zexion, Lexeaus, and Axel. Axel half-smiled at him, but he returned the grin with a cold expression. The red-head frowned and started to turn away, but Saïx held up his hand to make him wait. Axel sighed and leaned against the glass wall, turning his head to look at the heart-shaped moon that was Kingdom Hearts.

First, Saïx approached Lexeaus, who was watching Luxord and Zexion play cards. The blunette tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention.

"The Superior has a mission for you," he informed him. "You are to go with Number XIII to Traverse Town to unlock the Keyhole and destroy it."

"Is this Number XIII the original, or is it Double XIII?" Lexeaus asked, a bit hesitant. Saïx exhaled something that sounded like an exasperated laugh.

"Double XIII, if that's what you call him," he answered. "Get going."

Saïx then turned to Zexion. He stared at him until he caught his gaze, then beckoned him to follow as he left. He strode a couple yards down the hall, far enough so that none of the members would hear them. He didn't jump when he turned around and Zexion was right behind him. The sixth member was silent and observant, which was exactly why Xemnas had assigned him this mission.

"The Superior has assigned you a very special mission," Saïx smirked. "Lexeaus and Sora have been assigned to go to Traverse Town. However, due to some… questionable events in his last mission, we need to monitor Sora's actions. You are to go with them and observe him from a distance. In secret."

"So, you want me to spy on the kid," Zexion replied flatly. The other nodded. "Fair enough. I'll depart immediately." A Corridor of Darkness opened behind him and he backed into it. _He's so reliable_, Saïx thought as he returned to the Grey Area. _It would be a shame to lose him._

Lexeaus passed him and he headed towards Axel. The fire-controlling Nobody still looked put off by Saïx's earlier reaction. However, he looked over to him as he approached.

"You want to talk to me now?" he questioned. "What's your problem with me anyway? We go way back, y'know."

"Perhaps you've forgotten, but you were irresponsible for the Organization's downfall," Saïx snapped. "Not to mention you failed several recruitment missions beforehand. So, this one you'd better not mess up." Axel looked a little hurt by his words and looked away. "Go to Twilight Town and swallow that pitiful world. I'm tired of Key-Bearers getting through to this world via that passageway _you_ opened, Betwixt and Between. Think of it as a personal punishment. No questions, no exceptions. Go." Saïx didn't give Axel a chance to reply before stalking down the hall.

Two more missions were left in the notebook for the Nobody to assign. He turned down the hall and entered the corridors that housed the bedrooms of Organization XIII. He went to the last room in the hall. He peered inside and saw a spiky brunette laying in bed, staring at the ceiling. He cleared his throat and Sora turned his head to see him.

"What do you want?" he demanded, a defiant look on his face. Saïx was not amused.

"I have your next mission. Traverse Town with Lexeaus. Unlock the Keyhole," he replied. "You are expected to complete the mission under any and all circumstances. And Lexeaus better not get there before you." He raised an eyebrow at the boy, expecting him to quickly get up and scurry on to Traverse Town. However, the Keyblade Master just shrugged and went back to staring at the ceiling. Saïx growled under his breath as he left the room, and a confident smirk appeared in Sora's expression.

As Saïx passed other members in the hall, they steered clear of him. The Nobody's usually calm demeanor was long lost. He hated that Sora so much. He'd never even liked Roxas. He didn't understand why Xemnas would offer help to the person they were trying to kill. He figured he knew best and had some underlying plan like he always did, but the blunette couldn't figure out what it was this time.

He turned another corner and saw Roxas at the end of the hall. He was accompanied by another cloaked figure, and with disgust Saïx recognized the puppet.

"What is _that _doing in our castle?" he spat immediately, wrinkling up his nose and grimacing. "I thought we'd gotten rid of it." Roxas's brow furrowed and he took a step between him and Xion.

"She's one of us," the blonde retorted. "Let her be."

"I'm in a bad mood, Number XIII," Saïx snarled. "You will leave it behind on your next mission."

"No! Xion is staying with us!" Saïx was about to strangle Roxas when a Corridor of Darkness opened and Xemnas stepped out. He examined the situation calmly and gave a small smile.

"I thought I sensed tension," he commented. "Welcome back, Number XIV. Now, Saïx, I believe I asked you to assign missions."

"Superior," he replied sharply, "this… this puppet, this worthless, failed project cannot be welcome to walk among the Organization! We should destroy it at once!"

"Calm yourself," Xemnas muttered, then lowered his voice so only Saïx could hear. "If we have three Key-Bearers on our side and doing our missions, then we will have hearts that much sooner. Sometimes sacrifices have to be made for the greater good." Saïx nodded with understanding and eyed Roxas and the puppet. He flipped open the black notebook.

"Roxas, you and… Number XIV are to go to Wonderland," he sneered. "Unlock the Keyhole and capture more hearts." He turned swiftly down the hall, followed by Xemnas. The pawns were in place. The only thing to do now was to wait and watch. Kingdom Hearts would soon be ready, and the Nobodies would soon have hearts.


	6. Lost and Found, Then Lost Again

**Chapter VI: Lost and Found, Then Lost Again**

"Pence! Pence!" Hiro called, chasing after him. "Give me the ball! It's my turn!"

"Sorry, Hiro," Pence replied. "Mei told me not to let you have it. Aren't you supposed to be looking for your friends?"

"She, Hayner, and Olette are doing that. Why should we?"

"Because we were told to look too." The little boy sighed and crossed his arms over his chest, but nodded. Pence smiled and pulled out a map. Hiro stood on his toes in order to see. Hayner was looking in Station Heights and the Back Alley, Olette was searching Tram Common, and Mei had headed to Central Station. Pence and he were at the Sandlot. Of course, they hadn't looked very hard, but the place was empty. So Hiro had goofed off and Pence had watched.

Hayner, Pence, and Olette lived in Twilight Town. Hiro had met them and played with them. From what he'd seen, Hayner was the leader of the group, and he had a tendency to rush into things. Olette was there to balance out Hayner's impulsive behavior. She always bade the boys think about their decisions and kept them on track. He knew pence the best. He was very logical but kind of timid. Hiro guessed this was because he seemed to get the most of Hayner's competitive attitude.

Hiro could tell that the older boy was growing tired of baby-sitting, and he himself wanted to find Mei to see if she'd found Suki and Paka yet. He wanted them all together so they could hang out and have fun like they had before. Everyday since they'd met, they'd spent their days training and messing around in Disney Castle. Now things were so serious. Mei seemed edgy all the time, and now Suki was distant. Paka hadn't changed, and neither had he. Would they both change later? Hiro didn't like the thought of that.

"Alright, the only place left to look is Sunset Terrace," Pence was saying, pulling Hiro back to the present. The brunette examined the map, noticing the only way to the place the other had mentioned was by train or through the underground tunnels. The boy shuddered slightly. He didn't like small, dark places.

"Do you think we could go find Mei? I don't want to get too far from her," the youth inquired. He thought he saw a smile tug at Pence's mouth. He nodded and folded the map up, then led the way out of the Sandlot. Hiro laughed to himself, trotting after him in hopes of getting that ball back before finding his friends.

Mei sighed heavily and leaned against one of the columns supporting Central Station. Even though Hayner and Olette had searched other parts of Twilight Town, she'd gone through herself. She'd seen no sign of Paka or Suki, and she was getting worried. Since she was the oldest, she felt responsible for her younger partners. After the sudden Heartless invasion in Radiant Garden, she wasn't doubtful that the same thing could happen in other worlds, including this one. She didn't want to be separated from the others if that happened again. Also, something had seemed to be on Suki's mind before she'd disappeared. The anxiety was burning a hole in Mei's heart.

Finding nothing better to do, she walked across the street to a small cart. In the cart were some lightning blue ice cream bars. The vendor smiled pleasantly at Mei as she pulled out enough munny for two ice cream bars.

"What is this flavor?" she asked timidly.

"It's sea-salt, a favorite of almost everyone in town!" he replied brightly, as he was obviously paid to say that. She didn't know why something that tasted like sea water would be so popular, but she was hungry and would eat it anyway.

She crossed back to the station and was about to go inside when she heard someone calling her name. There was a dim hope that the voice was Paka's at first, but she soon realized it was too high to be his. She turned and saw Hiro running to her, Pence close behind. She put her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow at the heavier boy as Hiro gave her a quick hug. Pence shrugged off the look and gave a sheepish smile. Mei gave a light giggle, then looked down at her little partner.

"Were you giving Pence a hard time?" she asked. Pence shook his head.

"No, he was fine," he answered. "He just wanted to be with you. Why don't you two take a break? I was going to go check Sunset Terrace on my own anyway." He must've seen the ice cream in Mei's hands, because he gave a thumbs and said: "Good choice," before running off.

Now that Pence was gone, Mei had no choice but to take Hiro back. It didn't bother her, though. She liked being in charge and she had more control over the little boy than anyone else in her group. Not to mention she was becoming very curious as to what this sea-salt ice cream tasted like. So she handed one to Hiro and looked to the top of the tower.

"Come on," she said and took his wrist, pulling him into Central Station.

Once inside, she saw a staircase in the far corner of the station. The pair went up and after a moment they found themselves outside again. The red-head closed her hand around Hiro's wrist a little tighter as she looked over the edge of the top of the tower. She carefully led the younger boy around the corner and sat him down. She took a seat next to him and dangled her legs over the edge.

A light breeze kept the two cool as they bit into their ice cream bars. Both were surprised at the sweet and salty taste. Mei couldn't stop herself from laughing.

"What a weird taste!" she exclaimed. Hiro giggled in agreement as he licked his treat a second time. There was silence as they ate the ice cream down to the stick. The sun was starting to set.

"You didn't find them, did you?" Hiro asked quietly. Mei turned to look at him. He was staring down, some of his melting ice cream dripping off the stick.

"No, not yet," she replied softly. "But don't worry. We'll find them. I'm sure they're okay." Hiro didn't look so sure. The older girl frowned and continued to look at him. As she examined him, she saw a word on his ice cream stick. She nudged him and pointed at it. Quickly, he licked up what was left of his sea-salt ice cream, then read the stick. It said "WINNER" with a little crown next to it. He smiled and looked up at Mei.

"Wonder what that means…" he stated.

"It means ya get a free ice cream," a male's voice said. Mei and Hiro jumped and turned to the voice. He was tall and lean, and he was wearing a black, Organization XIII cloak. Immediately, Mei's brow furrowed and she stood. Hiro stood too, but he was frightened, so he hid behind her.

The man laughed and flicked off his hood. He had stunning green eyes and spiky red hair.

"The name's Axel," he continued, holding out a hand. "Got it memorized?" Mei clenched her teeth and backed up. So it was true: The Organization had returned. They had unleashed that huge Heartless and killed… that girl and Riku, and possibly even Sora. She wanted to dash forward and push Axel off the tower, but for some reason Hiro held her back.

The timid brunette carefully got between Mei and Axel, and he looked up into the man's eyes. His face was downcast.

"Axel… the King told us about you," he started. "You… are in the Organization. But you helped Sora. Right?" Axel chuckled. He made eye-contact with Mei for a second, and he obviously decided not to address her. So he turned his attention to the youth before him.

"Yep. Still am," was his answer. Hiro's brown eyes widened.

"You mean, he's alive? Is he here?"

"Well, he was. But duty called him back to the castle. To be honest, I don't know where they sent him this time--"

"They?" Mei interrupted. "They who?"

"The Organization. But you should know all about that, Miss Key-Bearer."

Mei swallowed hard. "What'd they do to him?"

"Nothing. Contrary to popular belief, we try not to kill our members." _Members?_

"You mean…" her voice trailed off.

"Yeah, I think you've got the gist of it. Sora's in with us." Mei's face turned red and her eyes narrowed. He was helping _them_!? She lost all respect for the Keyblade Master and snatched Hiro.

"Well, thanks, _Axel_," she spat. "Come on, Hiro. We've got to find out friends." They needed a new plan. There wasn't going to be any back-up. Their back up was their enemy.

Hiro looked over his shoulder at Axel as he was pulled away. Although he couldn't find a reason, he knew that the man was really trying to help Sora. And he wouldn't believe that the Keyblade Master was in Organization XIII for a bad reason. He'd been sure of that for a while now, and he figured that if it came down to it, Sora would pick the good over the bad in the end. But he knew he couldn't tell Mei that, so he stayed silent as they ran down the steps.

As they were rounding the corner inside Central Station, Mei almost ran straight into someone else. She was short-tempered naturally, but now she was also angry and in a hurry.

"Will you watch where you're going!?" she demanded without even looking at the person. She was about to storm off when Hiro pulled against her. Frustrated, she looked back. Paka was standing there, dumbfounded, as Hiro explained what had happened as quickly as possible.

"Way ahead of you," he muttered, when the younger boy finished. "By the way, Mei, you should say 'Excuse me' once in a while. But boy, do I have something to tell you."

"Later!" Mei snapped. "Walk and talk. We need to find Suki _now_." Paka shrugged, but Hiro grasped his hand before Mei whisked them away again.

The group hustled down the streets of Twilight Town, finally making their way to Tram Common. Since the day was nearing its end, most of the crowds had left the area. Paka described his encounter with the Organization at Sunset Hill as they searched, but Mei was hardly paying attention. However, once the blunette mentioned the name "Sora", her attention jerked to him.

"You saw him?" she gasped. That was when she finally noticed the tears in his clothes. Another gasp escaped her. "You _fought_ him!?"

"Well, sorta. Yeah," he replied, a little surprised. "Weren't you listening? He--"

"Mei! Hiro!" a girl's voice called. The group turned as Olette came running up to them. She rested her hands on her knees as she hung her head and panted, trying to catch her breath. She looked up and smiled.

"Oh, good," she whispered. "You found one." Paka raised an eyebrow and gave her a cautious smile. Then he looked at Mei, cocking his head inquisitively.

"That's Olette," Mei explained. "She's one of the people helping us look for you. Have you seen Suki, Olette?"

"Does she have purple hair?"

"Yeah."

"She just ran that way." The brunette straightened up and pointed back to the station. "I think she's looking for you, so you should back-track. I tried to stop her, but she didn't recognize me and just kept running. She looked pale. You should hurry."

Without a word, Mei sprinted back the way they'd came. Hiro and Paka gave a quick thanks to Olette before following their oldest friend. It wasn't long before the three ran into the plaza in front of Central Station. At a quick glance, nothing looked out of place. But soon they saw Suki and her Keyblade in her hand, and the man from before -- Axel -- was standing across from her, a ball of fire forming in his hands.

"…don't want to have to hurt you," Axel was saying. Despite the situation, he actually sounded like he meant it.

"Then let me lock the Keyhole," Suki replied. Her tone was soft too. "You know that he doesn't want this."

"If I don't then they'll probably get rid of me and him. I don't want to--" He stopped and looked past Suki to see Mei, Paka, and Hiro. He smiled and the fire at his hands faded to reveal his chakrams. "Although, I suppose if I was outnumbered, I'd have no choice buy to run," he grinned. He glanced back at Suki. "I think I know now. Why he likes you. You've got spunk, and you have them. I'll bet he doesn't want to take from you what he's already lost. So… I guess I lose this one. But it doesn't matter. I never wanted to get rid of this world anyway." That mischievous grin stayed on his face as he backed into a Corridor of Darkness.

The portal faded away and Suki let out a sigh of relief. Mei and the others quickly ran to her.

"Are you alright?" Mei questioned, grasping the younger girl's shoulder. She slowly nodded. "What was talking about, Suki?" she continued. "Where've you been? What happened?"

"Not now," Hiro said. "The Keyhole! Suki, lock the Keyhole!" Suki looked up at the building, and a Keyhole appeared on the tower. She raised her Keyblade and light grew at the tip, but Paka took hold of the blade and pushed it down.

"It won't work," he began. "We all have to do it. Together." In three brilliant flashes, the others' weapons materialized into their hands. Paka's Fantasmic!, Mei's Precious Tears, Hiro's Superstar, and Suki's Heart of Gold all pointed at the Keyhole. Light shot from their Keyblades and ran into each other. The collision radiated and shot forward in a single beam into the Keyhole. There was a deafening click and it faded away.

The Key-Bearers allowed their weapons to disappear. Mei turned to Paka, a satisfied yet shocked expression on her face.

"That was incredible!" she exclaimed. "How did you know to do that?"

"Well…" Paka shrugged. His face brightened as if he'd remembered something, and he looked at Suki. "Wait, I almost forgot to tell you! It's Sora. He's with Organizat--"

"I… I know…" she whispered. The group took a step back from the violenette in surprise. "I've known for a while." Mei stared at her, the look slowly going from one of confusion to anger.

"How long have you known?" she questioned flatly.

"Since Radiant Garden. He… He's the one that let all the Heartless out. But--"

"And you didn't think to tell us until now!? Don't you think that was kind of important!?"

"I--"

"Thanks, Suki. Thanks a bunch. It would've been great to know that the one person we were counting on betrayed us!"

"Mei, wait! Mei!"

The older girl refused to listen and turned away with a scoff. Suki reached out and her fingers brushed against her shoulder, but she shrugged her off and stormed down the street. The violenette stood there for a moment, dumbfounded. Suddenly, she turned to the two boys, hanging her head.

"You two hate me, too, right?" she asked. Both Paka and Hiro shook their heads.

"No," Paka answered. "I know that it'll be okay. I know he's really trying to help us. I didn't get a chance to tell Mei."

"So if we go explain things to her, everything will be alright?" Hiro guessed. Suki smiled softly and nodded. Without further hesitation, the three ran after their friend.

Mei must've run the second she was out of sight, for the group couldn't find her. They guessed that maybe she'd gone back to the Gummi Ship, so they made their way back to an empty lot near Hayner's Usual Spot. However, their ship was gone. The ship could only be opened by using a Keyblade, so they knew Mei had taken off.

"I must have really upset her," Suki mumbled. "Now what do we do?"

"Well, there's a rumor that one of the trains in Central Station goes to Yensid's castle," Paka explained. "He'd probably have a ship for us."

Figuring it was their best shot, the three turned back to Central Station.


	7. A Lone Heart

**Chapter VII:**

**A Lone Heart**

Sora stepped out of his Corridor of Twilight and looked around. He was in the Third District of Traverse Town. He knew he was supposed to find Lexeaus and unlock the Keyhole, but he'd left the castle late and now had no idea where his partner had gone. With a sigh he closed the corridor and started through the town. As he started up the road to the Second District, he heard a footstep. Quickly, he spun around, expecting a Heartless or Lexeaus. However, there was nothing there. He shrugged, but his Keyblade appeared in his hand, just in case.

The brunette walked down into the Second District, just below the bell tower. He stared at the mural behind the fountain. That was where the Keyhole was. All he had to do was point his weapon at it and all the hearts would be released to Kingdom Hearts. Yet he couldn't bring himself to do it. Traverse Town was the haven world. If it was gone, what would happen to all the people who lost their worlds? Where would they go? Would they just cease to exist? _I have to do it,_ he thought, determined. _For Riku. But would he want me to do… this?_

Sora's thoughts were interrupted when a shadow appeared on the mural. He turned and saw Lexeaus staring down at him. The Nobody's eyes rested on his Keyblade.

"The Keyhole?" he asked shortly. Sora hesitated, glancing away, then looked back at him.

"No," he lied. "Just some Heartless trouble. Why -- uh -- don't we go to the First District and check there?" Without waiting for a response, he started down the street. He didn't hear him following, which made him nervous.

"I thought you've locked this Keyhole before," Lexeaus stated, much to Sora's dismay. The younger opened his mouth to reply, but there was a creak behind him.

The two Organization members watched as a teenage girl came in from the First District. She locked eyes with Sora immediately, and even from a distance he could see she looked angry. There was a flash in her hand, and a Keyblade appeared. The hand guard was the shape of almost a spearhead, but he noticed it seemed to be in the shape of a tear also. It was dark teal, and connected to a gray-ish silver blade. The end of the weapon opened up in a flower-like structure, each petal like a light blue tear drop. Inside the petals, the middle was yellow, with several sharp points protruding from it. The chain that dangled from the hand guard was also a dark teal tear.

The girl glared at Sora, who took a hesitant step back. This was one of those Key-Bearers that was friends with Suki and the boy he'd fought. She was clearly older than the other two, and probably older than him. Her light blue eyes didn't waver from him as she made her way down the steps toward him. Lexeaus chuckled and the younger brunette stiffened up.

"Lexeaus," he muttered, "I'll take care of her. Go find the Keyhole. I never locked it, so go find it. Hurry." Number V gave him a skeptical look, but believed him. He turned around and headed back into the alleyway.

Sora looked back at the girl, who was only a couple yards away now.

"Who are you?" he asked evenly, not wanting to seem hostile.

"That's none of your business," the girl hissed. She pointed her Keyblade at Sora. "But I know who you are. You're the one who betrayed us. You're the one helping the bad guys! You're Sora."

The brunette seemed hurt by her words, though he wasn't at all intimidated by her weapon. He guessed the girl had heard about him from either Suki or the boy. However, he didn't understand why she would be so angry at him. He'd been going out of his way and putting himself in danger to help her friends. Now he was even lying to help her personally. He saw the expression on her face and knew she'd caught the lie. She didn't seem to understand either, but shrugged it off.

"I'm going to end you, here and now," she growled, although the shake in her tone suggested she felt otherwise. An airy laugh escaped Sora before he replied.

"Why would you want to do that?" he asked.

"I'd rather have one less enemy!" she shouted in response, and with a flick of her wrist, a Blizzard spell shot at the Keyblade Master. Thinking quickly, he cast a Fire spell and it ran into the girl's magic. They countered each other, simply changing them to water, which fell to the ground.

However, the red-head had used this as a distraction and charged at Sora. Although surprised, he was able to bring his Keyblade up and stop the attack. He pushed her back but didn't strike. He wasn't about to hurt her, even if she wanted to kill him. He knew he needed her to fix his mistakes until he got Riku back. Then he could help the light side again.

Of course, there was no way the girl could have known this, and Sora didn't think she'd believe him if he told her. Again, she struck at him, but he parried the blow with ease. She was fighting blindly and out of anger, so her assaults were simple and not thought out. Still, she attacked again and again, but Sora kept blocking her. He knew the others would come and stop her before Lexeaus reappeared.

Although the Organization member didn't appear, neither did the other Key-Bearers. That was when he realized that the girl's face was stained with tears, and he knew she was alone. For once, he actually swung, but not at her. The metal blades slammed together, the unexpected force pushing the girl back. She fell to the ground and glared up at Sora as he stood over her.

"Where are your friends?" he inquired, and saw a flicker of emotion on her face. But it disappeared so quickly that he couldn't tell what it'd been.

"Who knows?" she snapped. "She lied to me, so why should I care?"

"Suki lied to you." The girl looked shocked that he knew the violenette's name. His Keyblade disappeared and he offered her a hand.

"Who are you, again?" he repeated his question from before.

"It's… It's Mei." She was timid now, clearly unsure of what to think. Hesitantly, she let her weapon go away and used Sora's hand to get up. They were almost eye-level now, though he was a little taller than her. She released his hand and took a step away, making him smirk.

"Yes, it was Suki," Mei admitted, looking away. "She lied to all of us about you. So I came here. I didn't want to believe her, and I'm so sick of all these lies! Why can't anything be like it used to be!? No lies, no fighting-- I hate it!"

A loud sob burst from Mei as she stomped her foot. The once strong, determined girl was gone. Now she appeared broken and defeated. But that only lasted a moment. Her hands curled into fists and she glared at the ground.

"It doesn't matter," she told herself. "They don't need me. And I don't need them either. I'll… I'll stop you by myself if I have to!"

Sora stared at her for a moment. His heart seemed to pull at his chest, like a numb pain. His mind wandered to Riku, feeling Mei was much like him. After all, she thought her friends had betrayed her. He didn't' want her to end up like him. He took a step to her, but she cowered back. He really didn't understand why she was so afraid of him. He didn't take another step, but he stayed where he was. He let out a heavy sigh and looked away.

"You know, I can't let you do that," he muttered. "Getting rid of me, I mean. I have to bring Riku back first. Then, you can do whatever you want." His eyes flickered up to her, but they weren't angry. They appeared sympathetic. "I know you're angry with Suki. Don't be. She lied to protect _you_."

Mei gasped lightly. She apparently didn't believe that, shown by her brow furrowing over her eyes.

"I know that doesn't sound right," Sora continued, despite her expression, "but think about it. If she'd told you in Radiant Garden, you'd have come after me, right? And you probably would've been turned into a Heartless or worse. Friends sometimes lie. But really good friends lie to keep you safe. And you have that friendship with Suki, and the other boy, too. You're lucky. You guys are really close. You should be with them and be happy that you have them, because in these worlds, you never know when they'll be taken away."

Finally, Mei's face softened as she realized what Sora was really talking about. He'd lost Riku and… -- was there someone else? -- too soon. She had her friends, so she should be treasuring their time together instead of being upset.

"All right," she breathed, almost silently. She was caught in her thoughts. "You win. I guess I should go back to them and apologize. I understand now. Sora, thank you." Her eyes brightened with discovery and she looked at him with a small grin. "You said really good friends lie to protect you, right? You lied for me, didn't you?"

A short chuckle emitted from the brunette's throat, but he didn't say anything. He just gave a mischievous smile and began to turn away.

"Wait!" Mei cried, making him stop. "You're not all bad, I guess. Maybe… Maybe you've been doing the right thing all along. I don't know what you're up to, but I hope my friends and I can help. And… sorry for attacking you before…"

"Don't sweat it," he replied. "Now, hurry up and get to your friends."

"Oh, not so fast, Double XIII."

Sora froze up and his body went tense as a smooth voice echoed through the district. He heard the footsteps behind them and recognized the stifled sound of them. He'd heard it back in the Third District. He turned and saw Zexion smirking at him. Sora frowned, knowing now the illusionist had been sent to watch him. He quickly glanced back at Mei and mouthed "Run".

"Don't you go anywhere, little girl," Zexion purred. The red-head appeared confused, but also wary of the newcomer. Zexion turned his attention back to the Keyblade Master. "So, you just admitted that you've deceived the Organization. You know what happens to traitors like you."

"How do you know I didn't just want to take care of the Keyhole on my own?" Sora retorted. "I don't need a baby-sitter to do my job."

"Clearly, you do. You helped the Key-Bearer in Twilight Town just like you helped this one, didn't you?" Mei stared at Sora, surprised. He didn't look at her, as his eyes were locked on Zexion. But he appeared trapped in the man's logic.

"So what if I did?" he snapped.

"Oh, it's not big deal…" Zexion mused, "…unless, of course, the Superior found out. Hm, this is an odd coincidence, isn't it, Double XIII? I've been ordered to tell him about anything suspicious you do." Sora gritted his teeth, trying to think of something. But there was nothing. Zexion had him cornered.

"Look, I'll open the Keyhole," he finally replied.

"Ah, ah. That's not all," Zexion sneered. He pointed to Mei. "Dispose of her as well."

"I don't think so," the brunette hissed. The other only laughed.

"Then I suppose I will have to do the dirty work."

Sora's eyes widened and he spun around to face Mei. He opened his hand and a Corridor of Twilight opened next to her. The red-head jumped back from it, surprised. She looked at Sora with scared eyes, then stared past him to see Zexion preparing a spell of some sort.

"Trust me, Mei!" Sora shouted at her. "Go!" With a hesitant nod, the older girl ran inside the corridor. The Keyblade Master waved his hand and the portal disappeared. A Dark Firaga spell shot past him and exploded where Mei had been.

"You brat," Zexion spat, withdrawing his own hand. "The Superior will hear about this!"

A Corridor of Darkness appeared behind the man and he disappeared inside it. Sora relaxed physically, but his mind was racing. When Xemnas found out he'd not only let a Key-Bearer get away, but also helped her escape… He couldn't take back what he'd done, and he wouldn't change it even if he could. But how would he be able to stay in the Organization? There was no faster way to collect hearts, making Kingdom Hearts complete again quicker. And they needed him to unlock the Keyholes. They could always use Roxas, but he had a feeling that the Nobody would join him if he was kicked out.

The biggest problem was that Xemnas wouldn't just kick him out, but let the rest of Organization XIII tear him apart. Then there'd be no one to bring Riku back, and he would have helped the bad guys for nothing. That giant Heartless would destroy the universe, including the four new Key-Bearers. A lot was depending on Sora to stay in the Organization. He had to find a way to sway Xemnas to keep him.

A heavy sigh left the boy as he pulled his hood over his head, again hiding his face. The Second District was eerily quiet and empty. His footsteps echoed like thunder as he slowly walked down the street towards the fountain. The Keyblade flashed into his hand as he stopped in front of it. Reluctantly, he brought the blade up and pointed it at the mural. A white Keyhole appeared, seeming to be completely locked and sealed. Sora shut his eyes and took in a sharp breath as a beam of light shot from the Keyblade and erupted from the Keyhole. Immediately, darkness swam into the heart of Traverse Town, and he slid into a Corridor of Twilight. The streets of Traverse Town were suddenly swallowed in black.


	8. Search and Rescue

**Chapter VIII:**

** Search and Rescue**

There was a loud thud as Paka landed a Gummi Ship in the Rabbit Hole of Wonderland. Yensid had been very generous and had given the three youths a small ship called Highwind. Rumor had it that it was the same one the Keyblade Master had used on one of his adventures. But the past was behind them and they had to focus on the now. More specifically, they needed to focus on finding Mei.

They had no reason to believe that their friend would be in Wonderland, but it had been the first world they'd come across. Even if she wasn't there, they could lock the Keyhole. Hiro was especially anxious to find Mei, so once the ship was shut off, he raced ahead of the others. He was about halfway down the hall when he stopped to wait for Suki and Paka and look around.

The hallway was filled with many odds and ends, but mostly clocks. They weren't all set to the exact same second, so there was a constant ticking sound. It echoed down the hall and mingled with the sound of Suki and Paka's footsteps as they approached.

"What's with all the clocks?" Hiro asked, falling into step with the others.

"Dunno," Suki replied, smiling softly. "Maybe whoever lives here wants to know what time it is." Hiro shrugged, then looked ahead again. They had reached a doorway, and the door -- or rather, doors -- was open. There were about five doors, each one smaller than the one before it.

Although none of them understood the meaning of the multiple doors, they passed through them. The room they entered seemed much too small for their own size. Paka managed to get to the other side of the room, almost knocking over a table in the middle of the room.

"This has to be the Bizarre Room," he concluded, then picked up a small blue container. "I remember the King telling me about it. He said this is where the Keyhole is. But we're too big. I think… I think one of these drinks will make us small. Then we can find the Keyhole, and hopefully Mei."

Although a bit hesitant, Hiro and Suki nodded their heads and joined Paka's side. The oldest boy was the first to take a swig of one of the bottles. Nothing happened at first, making him shrug. Suki took a drink followed by Hiro, and then they waited. The brunette opened his mouth to say that it'd done nothing, but he saw that Paka was shrinking. Suki was next and he himself was last. Once the magic had finished its work, he looked up. He had to be about an inch tall, because the once-small table was towering over them, like a skyscraper.

"Wow!" the young boy exclaimed, hopping up and down. "We're little! We're like little mice! We can--"

"What a racket!" a voice mumbled from behind them. They spun around, expecting to see a person, but found no one. Suki raised a brow and looked to Paka, who shrugged. Hiro, on the other hand, had spotted a little door that caught his attention. He walked over to it and tried to twist the doorknob.

"Ow! Do you mind!?" the same voice shouted. Hiro yelped and hopped back in alarm. He noticed then that the door had eyes and a mouth. The other two came running over, realized the same thing as the younger boy and stared at the inanimate object, which really wasn't inanimate at all.

"I'm sorry!" Hiro apologized. "I thought you were a doorknob!"

"I am Doorknob!" the thing exclaimed irritably. "It's a terrible fate. Everyone's always yanking on your nose, asking you to open wide so they can shove a key down your throat--"

Doorknob went on and on, but the children were no longer listening. What he'd said had given them an idea. They whispered amongst themselves for a moment, all agreeing with the others' idea. Once Doorknob had finished his lecture, the three approached him. He stared at them, annoyed and uncaring.

"What do you want?" he grumbled. "I suppose you want through? Well, that's too bad. I was taking a nap before you woke me, and now you'll have to wait until I'm finished if you--"

"Say 'ah'," Paka interrupted, and Fantasmic! flashed into his hand. Suki and Hiro also summoned their Keyblades.

"What? Why would I--" Doorknob began, but as he opened his mouth wide, a sealed Keyhole appeared inside. Paka nodded and they aimed their weapons at it. They expected for the same thing to happen that did at Twilight Town. However, they waited and nothing happened. Frustrated, Suki shook her blade, but it did nothing.

"Why isn't it working?" Suki asked. "Is it because it's already locked?"

"No," Paka answered, lowering his Keyblade. "Sora said that just locking it with one person doesn't keep it sealed. It can be unlocked. That's why all of us have to do it together."

"Is it because of Mei?" Hiro inquired. Suki looked down at him, about to answer, then must've rethought what he said.

"Maybe that's it, then," the violenette decided. "We need Mei to complete the lock. Without her, it's no good."

They were slightly discouraged by this. That meant they had to find their friend, and fast. If they didn't, then too many worlds would be lost and the Organization would have their way. So they quickly left Doorknob alone, taking a strange path through a hole in the wall. Doorknob yawned, then shut his eyes, drifting off to sleep again.

The three found themselves in a courtyard of sorts. The first thing they noticed was the large, heart-shaped hedge that opened like a gate into the courtyard. They were about to walk in when they heard voices. Paka shushed the other two and they hid behind the hedge. Cautiously, they peered around the side to see who the voices belonged to. To their bewilderment, they saw two card-people having a conversation with each other. They were of the suite of hearts, going along with the theme of the world. The Key-Bearers couldn't make out what they were saying, but they looked like guards. They were standing in front of two paths.

Suddenly, another card soldier appeared. He looked worried and told the other two something. They left their posts and immediately scurried off down the path straight ahead. The children carefully came out from behind the hedge and entered the courtyard. The paths to their left and right were wide open.

"We have to split up," Paka determined. "I'll take the left and you two go right. We can meet up back here in a couple of minutes." Suki and Hiro nodded and they went their separate ways.

Suki and Hiro's path led them into a large maze of hedges. Hiro thought it'd be full of more card people, but it was empty. He wondered if whatever had made the first three run off had emptied the maze of its guards, too. Suki and he started off by going to the right, randomly twisting and turning at any place they thought Mei might have turned. Several times they found themselves at a dead end and had to back-track. After a while, they attempted finding landmarks to figure out where they were. To them, everything looked the same. There were holes in some hedges, but they were all identical. More heart-shaped hedges were in the maze, too, but the two could never remember which was which. Finally, they realized the maze was leading them nowhere, just making them disoriented and hopeless.

"I sure hope Paka's having more luck than we are," Suki mumbled, folding her arms over her chest. "Come on, let's see if we can get back."

As Suki turned around, Hiro thought he heard a voice. It seemed like it belonged to a girl. He smiled wide and turned the opposite direction that Suki was going in hopes of finding Mei. He ran down the path, turning different corners, trying to reach the voice.

"Mei!" he cried, then stopped running to listen for a response. At first, there was nothing, but then he heard a muffled voice. He shouted the name again and continued down the path.

Roxas and Xion had been assigned Wonderland by Saïx. Of course, they were expected to unlock the Keyhole. Roxas said he knew where it was: The Bizarre Room, in Doorknob's mouth. Shortly after getting their mission, Roxas had opened up a Corridor of Darkness to get to their world. However, instead of appearing in the same place as the Keyhole, the two stepped out into one of the mazes. Xion looked up at him and raised a brow skeptically.

"Sorry!" Roxas apologized, smiling sheepishly. "You know I'm not good at corridors!" Xion laughed and shook her head at him. It didn't bother her. She'd rather spend extra time on a mission than go back to the castle. She knew how hated she was by Saïx and some of the other members. Roxas accepted her and she owed him her existence again, even if she hadn't wanted it. So she didn't pester him about making a mistake with the corridor. It wouldn't take too long to get through the maze anyway.

Roxas led the way, rounding several hedges, and Xion followed close behind. They talked about little things, like some of the missions they'd been on. Honestly, the ravenette wasn't too fond of this world, for it was one of the last that she'd seen before she'd disappeared. But now she was with Roxas, so that put her nerves more at ease, though walking through the familiar maze still sent chills down her back.

"I wonder what's going on…" Roxas thought aloud. "Usually this place is loaded with Card Soldiers…"

"Do you think it has something to do with that Heartless?" Xion asked hesitantly. The blonde stopped walking and stared at her for a moment. "You know, the one that killed Riku and--"

"I dunno," he interrupted. He started walking again and shrugged. "Maybe it's here, maybe it's not. But if it is, we need to hurry. I don't want to run--"

"Mei!"

Both Roxas and Xion froze up. A young, male voice had reached them, and he sounded close. Upon listening, they heard the crunch of the grass as the boy was making his way towards them.

"Mei!" he shouted again. There was no place to hide for long. If they ran through the maze, they would surely lose him, but they'd waste time and end up losing themselves too.

Xion wasn't really sure what she was thinking, but she spotted a hole in one of the hedges. It was larger than most of the similar holes she'd seen, probably large enough to fit a person through. Without a word, she pushed Roxas to it.

"What are you--" he began.

"Quiet!" she hissed, then shoved him through the hole. He landed on the other side of the hedge with a _thud!_ and Xion peeked through to make sure he hadn't been hurt. She stifled a giggle when she saw the dazed Nobody laying on the ground. She started to pull herself through when she heard the boy's footsteps again, very close this time. She knew she could get through in time, but she didn't want to reveal Roxas to anyone.

"Go," she told him, backing out and pulling her hood over her head. He nodded, scrambled to his feet, and ran off as Xion turned to meet whoever it was that was trailing them.

Hiro quickly turned one last corner and almost ran right into a person wearing a dark, black cloak. Immediately, he stopped, backing away from the person warily. He knew that the cloak meant they were part of Organization XIII, but with their hood hiding their face, he couldn't tell who. The only members that he would want to run into were Axel, Roxas, and now Sora. This person wasn't tall enough to be Axel, but was thinner than both Roxas and Sora.

"S-Sorry," the little boy whimpered, still cowering away. The cloaked person laughed, and it sounded young and feminine.

"You don't need to be afraid," she told him. "I won't hurt you. Are you lost?" Hiro liked the tone of her voice. It wasn't threatening or condescending, more sincere and caring. Also, she reminded him of someone, and he guessed that if he kept talking to her, he would know who.

"Kinda," he answered brightly. "I'm looking for my friend. Have you seen her? She's got orange hair and she's tall and…" His voice trailed off as he thought of more descriptions.

"No, I haven't seen anyone like that," the hooded girl replied. It looked like she was thinking. "You're not here alone, are you?"

"No, Paka and Suki are here too."

"Where are they?"

"Oh… I… uh… I don't know, really."

"Well, why don't I help you get out of this maze?"

"You'd do that? Thanks, miss!"

Happily and without a worry in the worlds, Hiro began to follow the girl. He didn't know why he trusted her, he just did. Maybe he was just naïve enough to actually believe what people told him. So if she said that she would get him out of the maze, he believed her. He felt certain that she would take him to where he started; the possibility of a double-meaning to her words didn't even cross his mind. Luckily, the hooded girl didn't intend to do anything bad to the young boy. So the two just walked together through the maze.

"So," the girl began, "why are you here?" Hiro shrugged.

"Well, we're _supposed_ to lock the Keyholes and save the universe, but really we're here to find Mei," the small brunette answered.

"Mei's your friend," she concluded, mostly to herself. "What happened to her?"

"Well, she got all mad 'cause Suki never told her that Sora's working with the Organization now. She took the Gummi Ship and now we have no idea where she is!"

"Oh, I see. That's too bad. I really hope you'll find her. Sora would feel really guilty if he heard about this."

"You think so?"

"Mmm-hmm."

The hooded girl nodded softly, and Hiro looked away from her to see where they were. He still thought everything looked the same, so he went to thinking about his guide. When he'd been at Disney Castle, he'd listened to the Queen and Daisy talk about the King and what he was up to. One thing they'd always talked about was Organization XIII. They'd always said how bad they were, and how everything they were doing was hurting the worlds. So the young boy didn't understand why this girl would help him. And how did she know Sora?Hiro guessed that since Sora was in the Organization, maybe she knew him from that. But she seemed to use his name like she had known him a long time, like she knew him very well. The young boy stopped in his tracks, staring at his hooded guide. Her voice was so familiar, like he had heard it before. It took a moment, but she soon realized he was no longer following, so she turned to him.

"What's wrong?" she inquired. _Her voice…_ Hiro thought, then gasped.

"Kairi," he muttered. The girl shook her head as if she hadn't heard him.

"What did you say?" she asked.

"Nothing," he quickly replied. "Could you take off your hood?"

"You don't trust me?" Hiro hesitated, looking away. This made the girl giggle, but she nodded. Slowly, she reached up and grabbed her hood, then put it down. She had really blue eyes and black, short hair. Hiro's eyes widened in recognition. It _was_ Kairi.

Back in Disney Castle, Hiro and the other Key-Bearers had been shown videos and pictures from Jiminy's journal of Sora's adventures. He recognized Kairi from those things, though the black hair didn't seem right. Still, it had to be her. Who else could it be?

"Come on," Kairi told him, turning back down the path. "We're almost out."

"Wait!" Kairi seemed startled by Hiro's sudden outburst. The youth ran to her side. "You're alive?"

"Yes. Well, now I am," she answered, a little surprised.

"But how?"

"Roxas brought me back."

"Really? Why are you in the Organization?"

"It's the only place I can kind of belong now. And… I can keep an eye on Sora this way."

"You mean, he doesn't know you're here?"

"No. But it's better this way. I'm afraid that if he knew, things would change, and it wouldn't be good."

Kairi looked away from Hiro and started back down the path. Hiro paused, watching the girl. He didn't understand why Sora's lifelong friend wouldn't want him to know she was alive. He frowned at this thought. Wouldn't Sora leave the Organization if he knew Kairi was around? That would be a good thing, he thought. But maybe it would put him in danger, and she didn't want that. He was saddened that things had to be this way.

Maybe he, Paka, and Suki could do something about it! After all, they were supposed to help the Keyblade Master. Maybe if they could help him fight off the Organization, Kairi would be able to tell him she was okay! Hiro's face brightened and a smile spread across his face. He quickly ran ahead to catch up with Kairi and continued to follow her out of the maze. He didn't tell her his plans, because he knew she would worry. But he was sure he and his friends could do anything, and would do anything to help Sora.

Roxas had quickly retreated into the maze when Xion told him to go. He didn't understand why she was willing to deal with whoever had been approaching, but he trusted her and believed she'd done the right thing. The voice they'd heard sounded young, so he probably wasn't a threat. And Xion was less recognizable as an Organization member than Roxas himself, so he had to take that into consideration as well.

One things till bothered him, however. He'd traveled through most of the maze and had yet to see a single Card Soldier. That had to mean they were off doing something else, most likely something important. He knew that the lethal Heartless -- the one that had been created by Organization XIII to consume the worlds, the Dark Colossus -- was still taking worlds for its own, and Wonderland could possibly be next on its list. He didn't like being separated from Xion for that exact reason. And even if they were together, he didn't want to run into the Dark Colossus. So he supposed the best thing he could do now was unlock the Keyhole so they could leave as soon as possible.

It didn't take long for Roxas to get out of the maze since he knew it so well. He'd been forced to take a different route, so he didn't run into Xion along the way. He quickly slipped into the Bizarre Room and turned to Doorknob. He wasn't surprised to see that he was snoring away. The blonde rolled his eyes, but aimed his Keyblade at the Keyhole nonetheless.

"Hey Doorknob!" he shouted loudly. The Doorknob snorted slightly, trying to stay asleep. "Hey!!" This caused the Doorknob to snap his eyes open to glare the blonde Nobody. He was going to chew him out, but a yawn escaped him before a word could pass his… could you really call them lips?

As the animated, inanimate object opened his mouth, a beam of light shot from the tip of Roxas's Keyblade. There was a click as the solid white Keyhole filled with black, becoming unlocked. However, he paused before putting more darkness inside.

"There's a better way…" he muttered. "there has to be. There's gotta be a better way to collect hearts…" He stared at the Keyhole. By consuming it with darkness, not only would the heart of the world go to Kingdom Hearts, but the hearts of all its inhabitants as well. All of those innocent people would be killed; even if Wonderland's creatures were different, that didn't make it right. Back in his original Organization days, he'd been important because he held the Keyblade and could release hearts from insignia Heartless. But now, practically any member could fill an open Keyhole with darkness. The only value the Keyblade held anymore was that it could unlock the Keyhole.

Roxas preferred the old way. It didn't hurt as many people. Heartless were always causing trouble, and by releasing so much darkness, they were thriving and more of them were appearing all over the universe. Wouldn't it be better if they just drew in a lot of Heartless and got rid of them? This gave the Nobody an idea. Sure, it would be harder, but saving a world was worth it.

Doorknob's mouth was still open, stuck from the light shining into it. Roxas still had his blade trained on the Keyhole. He took his free hand and some darkness flowed from him into the heart of Wonderland, but not so much that the world would be consumed. After a moment, Roxas lowered both his hand and weapon. _Please work,_ he thought. Nothing happened. Doorknob shut his mouth and glared at the blonde.

"Do you mind!?" he exclaimed. "How dare you point that thing at me!" Roxas just rolled his eyes as the object shouted at him. Over his cries, he picked up on another sound; a hiss.

He spun around to see several puddles of darkness appearing on the Bizarre Room's floor, as well as some dark portals opening in the air. He smirked, gripping his Keyblade tightly. His plan had worked. Both the Keyhole and the darkness had drawn the Heartless to him. Now all he had to do was get rid of them, and he'd have probably collected more hearts than the entire Organization combined. But these Heartless would have to be insignia Heartless, or else his plan would fail. He relaxed slightly when several Soldiers, Large Bodies, Air Soldiers, and Crimson Jazzes emerged from the darkness. No Shadows, no Neoshadows… no Pureblood Heartless. Perfect.

Roxas held his Keyblade with both hands and charged forward. There had to be fifty Heartless now, and they were determined to get to the Keyhole. The blonde Nobody ran his Keyblade through a Soldier as it charged, making it disappear in a puff of darkness. A pink heart floated up out of the deceased monster and faded away to Kingdom Hearts. One down, 49 to go. He continued to strike and parry the Heartless, at first only being attacked by the Soldiers and Air Soldiers. He got hit by a few swift kicks, but it was nothing he couldn't handle.

Then a Crimson Jazz decided to get in on the action. As Roxas was fighting off three Air Soldiers, the fire Heartless came up behind him. Three large orbs of fire appeared around it, and the increased heat caught his attention. He spun around, but it was too late. The fire bombs exploded, the fire burning him badly. The burns he'd received were the least of his problems, however, as the force had thrown him back into the stomach of a Large Body. It bumped him forward again, slamming him into the ground. The Heartless smacked its belly, preparing to charge forward and body slam him, but he managed to rollout of the way, narrowly missing the assault.

Roxas stumbled to his feet, blocking an aerial assault from an Air Soldier. He swung his Keyblade around in a wide circle around himself, taking out about four Soldiers. Still more came. He was growing tired, but he had to pull through. If the Heartless got to the heart of Wonderland, they would be enough to swallow the world in darkness. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to make it out in time, and even if he did, Xion would be in danger. But he was weaker than usual; having all three parts of him out and about -- himself, his Other, Sora, and his Replica, Xion -- really drained his power.

Number XIII retreated back to the Keyhole, changing his goal. Now he had to protect the Keyhole. If he just locked it again, the Heartless would go away, and the mission would be a failure. With his back to the Doorknob, he continued to attempt to push the dark creatures back. It seemed to be working for a while, as many hearts were being released and the number Heartless was lowering. But then the Large Bodies moved to the front of the line, and he couldn't break through their armor-like bellies, and the other Heartless were advancing.

"Whoa!" he heard a yell. It sounded familiar, and it belonged to a girl.

"Xion?" he called, then grunted as an Air Soldier caught him by surprise and hooked its foot into his chest. There was no hope now, he felt. The Heartless were breaking through, and not even with Xion's help could he get rid of all of them. They'd have to make a break for it…

Roxas looked past the Heartless in front of him to see many hearts being freed. In fact, it looked to be far too many for just one person fighting. But who else would be here that wielded a Keyblade? Whoever they were, the Heartless saw them as a threat and turned to them. Roxas regained focus and hacked at the now exposed backs of the Large Bodies. With the two unknown Key-Bearers in front and him in the back, the rest of the Heartless were defeated in no time.

By the time Roxas had reached his helpers, he was panting heavily. He found himself looking at a boy with dark blue hair and seemed to be his age, and the violenette that had helped him bring Xion back. So these were the Key-Bearers Sora was so intent on keeping alive. He flashed them a quick smile of gratitude and together they finished off the rest of the Heartless. A ton of hearts had been released to Kingdom Hearts, so he deemed the mission accomplished.

A few moments of silence passed between the three as they caught their breaths. Roxas looked up at the girl, trying to remember her.

"Suki, right?" he asked. She stared at him for a moment, then smiled and nodded. He looked at the boy pointedly, who was staring back at him.

"Who's that?" the boy asked.

"That's Roxas," she explained. "I… ran into him in Twilight Town when we got separated." The blonde raised a brow at her for a moment. Had she not told her friends about himself and Xion yet? Maybe that had been what Xion had told her to do before she left. It sounded like something she would say. "Roxas, this is Paka."

Paka extended his hand for Roxas to shake, but the Nobody only stared at him for a moment. Slowly and awkwardly, the blue-haired boy retracted his hand.

"N…Nice to meet you…" Paka said uncomfortably. Roxas shrugged.

"Pleasure," he muttered, looking away. He couldn't grow attached to these Key-Bearers. If he did, the Organization would make him kill them, and he didn't want to do that. Surely Sora had already been given that job, but there was no doubt that the Keyblade Master had refused. Sora could probably escape Organization XIII, live, and have somewhere to go. Roxas, on the other hand, could not. He'd been down that road before, and he didn't want to go down it again.

"Paka! Suki!" a young voice shouted. A small boy ran to the two, embracing them. Roxas let out a sigh, relieved the silence had been broken. He could slip away unnoticed now.

"Hiro, you had me worried!" Suki exclaimed. Roxas started walking away, but still paid attention to what the three were saying.

"Sorry, but I thought I heard Mei," Hiro explained. "I looked everywhere, but I didn't find her. But I found you!"

"We haven't had any luck, either," Paka admitted. "We can't seal the Keyhole completely without her. So we should go someplace else…"

"Hurry up, Roxas!" a voice hissed. He jumped a little, surprised to hear a voice behind him. He turned to see Xion standing there impatiently. It struck him as odd that she had her hood up, but before he could question her, she snatched his wrist and led him away.

The two didn't speak until they were back in the maze where they'd been separated. Xion pulled her hood off and turned to Roxas.

"Did you take care of the Keyhole?" she asked quickly. Roxas was confused as to why she seemed to be in a hurry, but replied anyway.

"Kind of," he answered. "I found out that it's actually better to--"

"Great," she interrupted. "Please hurry and open a Corridor of Darkness and get out of here." The blonde Nobody stared at her snappish request, but complied. He opened a corridor and Xion practically pushed him inside.

"What's the big idea?" he demanded as they traveled through the darkness. She sighed, not seeming to be as rushed now.

"That's not import--" she began, but Roxas cut her off.

"And why did you have your hood up?"

"I didn't want those Key-Bearers to know who I was. I got lucky when the little boy thought I was ------."

"Wait, who?"

"------."

"You didn't say… Never mind…"

Roxas was a little frustrated with whatever trick Xion was trying to pull, so he just walked ahead. The ravenette quickly caught up to him and grabbed his arm.

"I'm sorry," she told him quietly. "I'm just worried about them."

"Who? The Key-Bearers? Why?"

"I told them to hurry. I just hope they listen. Roxas, _it _was in Wonderland." Roxas froze.

"You mean the Heartless? The Dark Colossus?"

"Yes."

Roxas swallowed hard. "Remind me to not tell Sora."


	9. Trapped

**Chapter IX: **

**Trapped**

A Corridor of Twilight appeared in Nothing's Call and a cloaked member of the Organization stormed out. His hands were curled into fists, and his hood was pulled far over his face.

"Zexion!" he shouted, flipping his hood off. It was Sora. His brow was furrowed and his teeth were clenched tightly. "Zexion!" He looked around the area, but had no luck in finding the Cloaked Schemer.

He couldn't let him tell the rest of the Organization about how he'd let Mei get away. If they found out, there wasn't a doubt in his mind that they'd "punish" him, which would be more like torturing him. He'd be all alone in a building full of people that wanted him dead. Roxas was still out on his mission to the King knows where, as was Axel.

Sora brought his hand up to his forehead and let out a sigh. He covered his eyes and hung his head. It was useless. Zexion would have told at least half of Organization XIII by now. He half considered just leaving before anyone could get to him. But he couldn't let Riku down. He had to complete Kingdom Hearts and get his best friend's heart back. The only way to do that was to stay in the Organization, unlock the Keyholes, and do whatever else he was assigned to do.

For now, the only thing he could do was try his best to avoid the other members. Unfortunately, he'd picked one of the worst places to appear in. Nothing's Call was in the very front of The Castle That Never Was, and his dorm was all the way up at the top of the building. He could open a corridor and just appear there, but he knew the energy would draw attention to himself, which was the exact opposite of what he wanted. So just walking would be the safest route.

The brunette didn't let his guard down, but took a deep breath and started down the hall. No Nobodies attacked him, which felt odd. Usually, he was the number one target in the castle, but now that he was working with them, it was as if he was actually welcome. In fact, he felt almost at home except that Riku wasn't there. However, whenever he was around another member, that feeling went away. He felt like an intruder again.

It didn't take long for him to reach the Hall of Empty Melodies, where he'd fought Xigbar a year ago. It didn't seem like a year, more like an eternity. He'd be grateful when he could leave and hopefully never come back to this empty place again. It held too many painful memories, and some memories that were only painful now because what had made them good was gone.

Sora reached the middle of the platform, then paused for a moment. His eyes shifted around the room; he was sure he'd heard something.

"Thought you could sneak back here, did you?" a voice hissed, and he spun around to see Zexion glaring at him. He returned the expression.

"About time you showed up," the brunette retorted. "You better not have told--"

"Too late~" a voice behind him cackled. Sora looked over his shoulder to see a blonde woman with piercing green eyes. She flipped her hair, making her antennae-like locks bounce on her head.

"Larxene," Sora growled. "What are you doing here?"

"She's merely here to do what we all wish to do," yet another voice explained. This was the pink-haired Marluxia. Sora looked around the room again and came to a deadly realization: Practically the entire Organization was around him, and they didn't look happy.

"You do know what this means, right?" Vexen added, smirking. "Due to your… untrustworthy behavior -- which was brought to our attention by, of course, Zexion -- we feel it is… necessary to put you in your place and remind you of your duties in this organization."

"Shut your yap, you old geezer," Xigbar snapped, waving his hand at him dismissively. "You're making this less enjoyable with your blabbering."

"I am not blabbering!" Vexen protested. Sora rolled his eyes.

"So what? You're just going to beat me senseless?" he asked, folding his arms over his chest. The group laughed.

"If we beat you senseless, it wouldn't be any fun!" Larxene answered, giggling.

"I'd be willing to bet that we'll torture you until you beg for mercy," Luxord muttered, then smirked. "I believe that I would win that gamble."

"Don't count on me begging for anything," Sora spat, uncrossing his arms and glowering around the platform.

"With your weakness, your _emotions_," Xaldin began, "we could easily make you beg. After all, if I remember correctly, it was _you_ who came to us, pleading that we bring your friends back."

Sora's fierce expression dissolved suddenly into a shocked and hurt one. This change was caught by most of the Organization members, and they laughed and whispered amongst themselves.

"Uh-oh, guys. I think we found a sore spot," Marluxia mused, sauntering over to the Keyblade Master. He grabbed the boy's chin, but he slapped his hand away. "Do you not like it when we talk about them? About how you… failed them?"

"Now, now, Flower Boy, play nice," Xigbar chuckled. "It's not _all_ his fault that his friends are dead." Sora turned on him, light flashing threateningly at his hand.

"Shut up," he snarled, his brow furrowing.

"We're upsetting him," Lexeaus stated.

"Oh, give me a second to care," Xaldin commented, then paused. "Oh, wait, that's right. I don't have a heart!"

"Exactly!" Vexen exclaimed. "If not for your meddling, we would have hearts by now! And now we offer you a chance to save your pathetic friends, yet you defy us all the same! If I were able, I'd crush those hearts you're after--"

"Vexen, calm down," Luxord warned. "It hurts the poor child's feelings. Does he not have enough to worry about with that creature running about the worlds, the very same one he allowed to devour the hearts of his friends?"

"That's right," Zexion agreed. "I've heard the Dark Colossus is consuming the worlds. In fact, reports are in that the Destiny Islands just disappeared."

"Shut up!" Sora shouted, a blinding light exploding from his hand. The Keyblade appeared from that flash, causing the closer members to take a step back.

A deadly silence filled the room, everyone's eyes on Sora. The brunette glanced from person to person, making sure none of them attacked. Some of the Nobodies had their weapons out, but they didn't look like they would strike. Others didn't have their weapon, but were ready to summon it at any given moment. He decided fighting them would only get him killed, so he slowly came out of his tense stance. This was a mistake.

"Aw, he's all bark and no bite," Larxene whined, flashing her kunai knives in front of her face. Then, with her incredible speed, she ran at him, aiming a kick at his stomach. "But I'm _all_ bite!"

Sora jumped back and whipped his Keyblade in front of him to stop her additional slash with her knives. Although he seriously wanted to take all his anger out on her, he knew fighting back would only encourage the others. So he continued to let the Savage Nymph push him back, knowing it was just a little farther until the end of the hall, and then he could make a break for it.

Then he felt something sharp lightly stab into his back. Without turning, he knew it was Xigbar's sniper. He quickly spun around and knocked the gun away from him, but didn't take into account that Xigbar had two of them. The man fired a shot, a red laser just grazing Sora's shoulder. The boy winced slightly, but managed to push past Xigbar and get around him.

Lexeaus was there, and he swung his large tomahawk in hopes of catching his legs and making him fall. Luckily, Sora jumped over the weapon, but slipped on a sheet of ice Vexen had made as he landed. He fell down hard, still on the frozen water, and tried to get to his feet. But the ice was too slick for his boots to catch, so he couldn't stand. Xaldin approached from behind and lifted his lances, aimed at Sora's back. Marluxia calmly walked around to be in front of the Keyblade Master, resting the blade of his scythe on his throat.

Luxord laughed and came up behind Marluxia, shuffling through his cards casually.

"It appears your time is up," the Gambler of Fate stated. "Check mate." Sora couldn't move or else he'd be stabbed in several different ways, so he could only glower at his foes as he waited for them to tear him apart.

"Hey guys, what's up?" a cheery voice asked. Marluxia lowered his weapon slightly and he and Luxord turned to reveal Demyx. The second Number IX met eyes with Sora, his bright attitude dropped.

"Ohhh…" he muttered. "Well, this is a pickle."

"Quiet," Lexeaus ordered. "He's finished. We don't need your help." Demyx raised his hands innocently.

"Calm down," the mullet-man replied. "I'm not gonna fight. But, sheesh, don't ya think the Superior will be mad if you kill his Keyblade wielder?"

"What's it matter?" Xigbar demanded. "We already have Tiger and Poppet-- er, I mean Roxas and Xi--"

"Yeah, I know, I know," Demyx interjected. "But won't Roxas just disappear if his Other does? I _know_ Xemnas wouldn't be happy about that."

"Listen," Vexen hissed, obviously annoyed. "Let us have our fun. Surely even you would find pleasure in avenging your own 'death'. Besides, all was going well here until you disrupted us. So be a good boy and go play your little guitar somewhere."

"Hey, don't diss the sitar!" the other whined, starting a lame argument between the two about Demyx's usefulness and his musical talent.

Sora rolled his eyes, tired of being in this position. He didn't care about what the two members were arguing about, but he knew he could this to his advantage. All the other members had been distracted, so although their weapons were still pointing at him, if he moved quick enough, he could make an escape. He just had to get up without drawing attention to himself…

"I do too do things!" Demyx's shout broke through Sora's train of thought. "You think you're so _cool_ with your ice powers--" Sora grimaced at the pun -- "Well, check this out!" Demyx waved his hand and Vexen's sheet of ice melted to water. The sitar player got a smug look on his face and folded his arms over his chest. "How do you like that? I melted your ice! Nyah nyah!"

Now that he couldn't slip around, Sora jumped up and sprinted between Demyx and Vexen and down the hall. The two stared at him in disbelief for a moment before reality set in. As Sora ran, he heard the others shout and scold Demyx, then heard the pounding footfalls as they chased after him. Running on pure adrenaline, he kept pushing one leg after another down the halls. It felt like his hearts was beating a mile a minute, and his breaths were quick and heavy. But he couldn't stop. He didn't know where he was going to lose them, but he knew he had to try.

Instead of charging to his room, he kept going up through the castle. He would just end up cornering himself if he went to the Grey Area. He decided he'd make his way up to the Altar of Naught, but not actually go there. He could slip into a different room in Proof of Existence without them knowing. Still, he didn't dare look behind him to see how close the other members were. He knew how fast some of them were, and he didn't want to risk slowing down to check behind him.

Finally, Sora reached Proof of Existence and allowed himself to look back. There was no one, which confused him. He could have been sure that there were at least a few Nobodies just behind him. He didn't dwell on it and ran through the portal that led to Addled Impasse, where he'd fought Saïx.

The brunette ran through the hall and slowed down to a stop in the middle of the room. He hung his head and tried to catch his breath, resting his hands on his knees. His eyes scanned the room for a minute, falling on the large window that revealed Kingdom Hearts. He locked his orbs on it for a moment, remembering why he was doing this. But was it worth it? Just as his mind started to drift into thought about it, he heard more footsteps.

He turned slowly to face the hallway he'd just raced down. He met the gaze of eight very unhappy Organization XIII members. It looked like Demyx had ditched them, or had fled for the sake of his existence. He swallowed hard and took a couple paces back. Somewhere in all the previous chaos, he'd dismissed his Keyblade. Now he was contemplating whether or not he should summon it again. If he didn't defend himself, he could be killed. So he summoned up his weapon and hoped for the best.

There was so much tension in the room that it actually made his head pound, practically deafening him. It didn't matter, though, because the others didn't say anything, just continued to advance on him. So he didn't hear the Corridor of Darkness open behind him, and he didn't notice the surprised look on the others' faces. However, he practically jumped out of his skin when a wall of flame appeared between him and the rest of Organization XIII.

"Gee, Double XIII, you must've really screwed up to have all of 'em after you like that," Axel chuckled, walking up beside Sora. His hands were aimed at the fire, and it looked like he was concentrating hard to keep it up. Still, his eyes flickered to the boy and he smirked, then jerked his head. "Go on, take the Corridor. I'll talk to these guys." Sora stared at him in a state of shock for a moment, then nodded with a quick thanks before stepping into the darkness.

He reappeared in his own room, which was as empty as it always was. He let out his breath, which he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He let his Keyblade go away before sitting on the side of his bed. He really hoped Axel would be okay, but he knew the fiery Nobody was a smooth talker. Not to mention all that commotion would no doubt get Xemnas and Saïx's attention, and that would end any fight that could possibly be going on. It bothered him that he had to rely on Xemnas to put the other members in their place, but if it kept him alive, he would have to deal with it.

_What am I doing here?_ Sora wondered, putting his elbow on his knee and resting his chin in his hand. He found himself staring out the window at Kingdom Hearts again. _I don't belong here. If I stay, they'll kill me. If I don't, they'll kill me. I hate this. I'm trapped. Thank the King for Roxas and Axel, or else I probably wouldn't be here. What's it matter, anyway? Riku's gone. Why should I still be here? It's not fair! What if Kingdom Hearts doesn't work?_

"Maybe it'd be better if I ended it all right now!" the brunette hissed at himself. He stood up slowly and slowly walked to the window. He pressed his hand against the glass and the window popped open. "It's too easy…"

"Sora…? What are you doing?"

Sora froze up. That voice… it sounded incredibly familiar. He turned around to see a girl with black hair and blue eyes in his doorway. She looked concerned. As soon as their eyes met, a sharp pain went through his head. He grunted and snapped his hand up to his forehead, squeezing his eyes shut. He felt like he could see someone else behind his closed eyelids, but her image was fuzzy and distant. This felt just like what had happened when he'd run into that Key-Bearer in Twilight Town.

"I'm sorry…" that girl's soft voice said. Sora quickly opened his eyes to see her turning away. He took a sudden stop towards her.

"Wait," he called, and she paused, turning back to him. "Sorry, but who are you? I feel like I should know you… have we met?"

"N-No, we haven't," the girl replied quietly. "But I've heard about you. You're Sora."

"Yeah…" He wasn't really surprised that she knew about him. He was pretty popular in the Organization, though it was for all the wrong reasons. This made the ravenette giggle, but she quickly slipped back into her clam, contained mood. Although she'd turned her head away from him, her eyes glanced up at him. There was a strange silence between them, but finally the girl stepped forward and offered her hand.

"I'm Xion," she told him. Sora extended his own hand and took hers, shaking it. His vision blacked out for a second. _Sora, you lazy bum!_ a voice not unlike Xion's echoed in his head. _You've gotta get up! We have work to do! What, you think the raft's gonna build itself?_

Sora stared at Xion for a minute as he recalled the past. Xion wasn't in his memory, he was sure about that. But there was someone there with him and Riku as they'd built their raft two years ago. Who was it, and why couldn't he remember? He opened his mouth to ask the girl in front of him, but paused. Xion's expression seemed to have grown hopeful, which disappeared when he didn't speak.

"Is something wrong?" she asked. Sora hesitated, then shook his head.

"No," he answered, thinking about it. "Are you sure we haven't met?"

"Positive," Xion giggled, but something in her eyes told him that she was holding something back. He decided not to pursue the matter and looked away.

An awkward silence followed. Xion reminded him of someone, that girl he'd heard in his head. But who was she?

"Well, you two finally met." Sora looked up with a smile when Axel said this. There weren't any marks on him, so he assumed that there hadn't been a fight. Xion brightened up at the sight of him, taking a few quick steps in his direction.

"Axel," the girl said, smiling. "I missed you." Axel chuckled, shaking his head.

"Oh, I don't wanna hear that," he told her. "Besides, Roxas is looking for you. You guys have a mission in Agrabah. So get to it." The ravenette gave a quick nod before starting for the hall. When she reached the doorway, however, she paused and turned back to Sora. She gave a small wave.

"Bye, Sora." Something in her voice sounded sad. He was very curious about this girl, but there was no time to ask any questions before she disappeared around the corner.

Sora looked up at Axel, a puzzled expression on his face.

"You know her?" he asked.

"Yeah. Old friend from the Organization," Axel explained. "She, uh, disappeared before you woke up." A sudden realization hit him then. Xion had been dead. But why? How, or even who? Did Riku have something to do with it? Another question he'd probably not get an answer to.

"Why the long face, Sora?" the red-head smirked, putting a hand on his shoulder and shaking him a bit. "Ah, well. We've got a mission." He pulled his hand away and opened a Corridor of Darkness. "When Saïx finally showed up, he made up some quick mission to get everyone out. So we're headed to Beast's Castle. C'mon." The Keyblade Master was a bit surprised by Axel's careless attitude, but it didn't matter. At least he was getting out of the castle with someone he actually got along with. He'd be one world closer to completing Kingdom Hearts, and one step closer to finally being free.


	10. Falling Into Darkness

**Chapter X:**

**Falling Into Darkness**

Waves of light and darkness clashed into each other, making the corridor a dim gray. Twilight. Mei had never been transported through a corridor of any sort before, but she assumed that Corridors of Twilight were very different from Corridors of Darkness. She had no idea where she was going, but there was constant movement around her that compelled her to keep moving forward. She trusted Sora, as well, and knew that his portal would lead her somewhere safe.

As Mei continued forward, the contrasting elements started separating, little by little. The darkness went to one side, and the light went to the other. A grey portal was ahead of her, one she guessed that would lead into another world. Not looking back, she took a deep breath and stepped through.

Light burst into Mei's eyes as she stepped onto soft, cold snow. The girl recoiled slightly and squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, then opened them slowly to allow them to adjust. There was a swish behind her and the Corridor of Twilight swirled shut. Whether she liked this world or not, she was stuck here now. A breeze blew and she became aware of the frigid temperature. She wasn't really dressed for such a climate, so she wrapped her arms around herself and began to look for shelter.

She looked around the immediate area and realized that she was on top of a mountain. She shuffled through the snow to look over the cliff and see a city a few miles away. There was no snow down there, so she supposed that if she got down there, it'd be warmer and she could ask someone where she was. She looked to the right and saw a narrow path leading down the side of the mountain, so she followed it.

After the short trek from the peak of the mountain to about the halfway point, Mei saw there was a small camp. It looked like it was for some sort of army, and it seemed like it hadn't housed anyone for a while. Curious, she went up to one of the doors and knocked on it. A moment passed and no one answered, so she decided to continue down the mountain. She glanced back at the way she'd came, didn't see that anyone was following, and turned back around to continue towards the city.

The rest of the walk was rather uneventful. After a while, she'd left the snow behind and traveled down a rocky path, then found herself on a river bank. There were two paths now, one that led to the city and one that led to another camp. Since the city was still pretty far away, she decided to check this camp and see if there were people in this one. She crossed the stream and continued forward.

Once in this camp, she soon realized it was empty too. She stomped her foot in frustration, cringing instantly from the sudden pressure to her frostbitten toes. She clenched her jaw to stop herself from crying out, and waited for the numbness to go away. On the other side of the encampment, there was a small trail leading into a grove.

"I might as well see if I can find some food," Mei told herself, tired of hearing nothing. "And then I can come back and use of these tents to rest in before going to the city."

Mei really didn't know how long she was going to be stuck in this world, so she wanted to make sure she could survive if she couldn't find any inhabitants that would help her. The path she took led to a bamboo thicket, and as she was about to turn the corner, she heard voices. She froze up, immediately remembering Zexion from Traverse Town. Could these voices belong to Organization members too? She stayed quiet and listened close.

"Okay, so if we go into the Imperial City, maybe the Emperor can help us help us out," a boy's voice was saying.

"Yeah," a girl agreed. "It's not like Mei actually looks Chinese--"

"Come on! Let's go! Let's go!" a young boy's voice cried. Mei's face brightened as she recognized the voices, and she ran around the corner straight into Suki's arms. The violenette yelped in surprise, but the older girl kept a tight hold on her. After a moment, the embrace was returned.

"Mei!" Hiro shouted excitedly and ran to her, hugging her leg. "We've been looking everywhere for you!" The red-head let go of Suki to rustle Hiro's hair, then smiled at Paka before meeting Suki's eyes again. She hung her head, feeling guilty.

"I'm so sorry I blew up at you," Mei told Suki quietly.

"It's okay, Mei," the girl replied. "I should have told you… I was just so confused--"

"No… I understand. I… I talked to someone. He told me that friends lie to protect each other. So, thank you."

Suki was surprised by Mei's explanation, but she accepted it whole-heartedly. Paka then told her about how they'd borrowed a Gummi Ship from Master Yen Sid, and used it to look for her in Wonderland. He explained that they were unable to completely lock the Keyhole without her, and that they'd met Roxas briefly.

"What about you, Mei?" Hiro asked. "Where have you been?" The oldest teen hesitated, biting her lower lip.

"Well, I went to Traverse Town," she began. "I ran into some Organization members… and Sora. He… He's the one who made me understand. He got me here before Zexion could hurt me. I have no idea what's happened to him now." The other three stared at her in shock for a moment, then recovered quickly.

"Don't worry, he'll be okay," Hiro told her brightly. "Kairi's watching over him." Paka and Mei stared at him incredulously.

"Kairi?" Mei repeated, the name feeling strangely familiar as it passed her lips.

"Who's that?" Paka asked.

"Sora's friend, Kairi, don't you remember?" Hiro answered, cocking his head to the side. "We thought she'd been killed by that Heartless, like Riku!"

"She _was_ killed by that Heartless," Suki muttered. "What are you talking about, Hiro?"

"Kairi helped me find you back in Wonderland."

Mei was confused. How come Suki and Hiro seemed to remember this Kairi girl, when she and Paka didn't? And if she really was a friend of Sora's that had been killed, why wouldn't he had said anything about her before? Still, there was something very familiar about her name. The question was, why?

"Suki…" she finally stated, looking towards her. "Who is Kairi?" Suki looked away, obviously thinking hard about something. Finally, she took a deep breath and reached into her pocket. She pulled out a folded piece of paper and fumbled it in her fingers nervously.

"Kairi is Sora's best friend--" she began.

"No, that's Riku," Paka interrupted.

"Kairi is too, or was, at least," she corrected. "She was killed by that Heartless with Riku. But… almost everyone's forgotten about herm even Sora. This girl I met… that I 'brought back'… she told me that because she existed, everyone would start to forget Kairi. I don't know why Hiro remembers her, but you two don't. That girl, Xion, gave me this." She unfolded the piece of paper and showed them the picture. Sora and Riku were sitting on a tree, but the space in between them was empty. However, there did seem to be some faint smudge in that space, one that vaguely looked like a girl with red hair.

"Kairi has black hair, doesn't she?" Hiro questioned.

"No. Xion does," Suki replied. "So… you didn't' meet Kairi. You met Xion, which makes sense because Roxas was with her. So, why do you remember Kairi?"

"Do you think… it has something to do with Sora?" Mei inquired hesitantly. "I mean, both Paka and I saw Sora, and we don't remember. But, you saw him too, and you remember…"

"No, I think you're right," Suki said. "I met Sora before everyone forgot Kairi. And Hiro never met him." She turned the drawing around and looked at it. "These are Sora's memories, so we are affected by them only if we're around him." She folded the paper up and pocked it, a determined look on her face. "When we find him, we might forget Kairi completely. If we want to help him, we have to remember her."

The other three understood and nodded.

"Well, first things first," Paka started. "We need to go to the Emperor and see if he can tell us where the Keyhole is." So the friends headed back towards the Imperial City, as Mei learned it to be called. They all informed her that they were in a world called The Land of Dragons. An old ally of Sora's lived here, and her name was Mulan. Although they had come here looking for Mei, they'd also hoped to permanently lock the Keyhole and try to get some help from Mulan. They'd just arrived, so the only thing they'd accomplished was finding Mei.

The red-head explained her short journey from the peak of the mountain to where she'd found them. She made sure to let them know she hadn't seen any people or any Heartless, despite all of the places that had seemed suitable for the both of them. They all agreed the world was strangely quiet, so something was going on. The quicker they got to the Emperor, the better.

It wasn't long until the four Key-Bearers reached the Imperial City. The square in front of the palace was very large and spacious, yet there were no people wandering around in it The Land of Dragons was eerily silent.

"This is bad," Paka muttered. "Where is everyone?" Mei shrugged in response, but pressed on. Suki, Hiro, and Paka followed her hesitantly and marched up the steps to the palace. When they reached the top, they could see that the large doors were wide open.

"Could there have been a war here?" Mei asked no one in particular. "There was that encampment back there… and I've seen a lot of weapons too."

"If there was, where are all the bodies?" Suki countered, grimacing slightly. "As gross as that is, there would be hurt and dead people all over the place. But everything's completely empty."

"So what happened?" Hiro asked.

"I dunno." The group fell silent as they walked into the palace, through the entrance hall, and into the throne room.

It didn't take much time to realize the room was empty, just like the rest of the world.

"Your Excellency!" Paka called out, hoping to catch the Emperor's attention so he would reveal himself. After a few moments of searching around the room, they came to the conclusion that the Emperor was gone.

"No Heartless here either," Hiro pointed out. "So his heart wasn't stolen. Maybe something scared everyone away, even the Heartless?"

"We don't know," Suki replied. "But what could scare a Heartless?"

"Beats me," Paka said. "We should find the Keyhole and lock it, though. We might as well since we're here."

"Okay," Mei nodded. "When I was coming down the mountain, there was that other little camp that I told you about. I didn't really look around too hard, so maybe the Keyhole's there." They all agreed to use Mei's plan and left the city.

With Mei in the lead, they reached the snowy cliffs of the mountain quickly. When they reached the buildings, they split up and searched high and low for the Keyhole. They met up back in the middle, having found nothing. Without exchanging a word between themselves, they started to head further up the mountain. As they started up the path to the ridge, Hiro stopped suddenly.

"Look!" he exclaimed. "A cave!" Sure enough, on the side of the path was a rock wall, and there was a large opening that led into the cave.

"Maybe the Keyhole is in there," Suki suggested, so they all decided to look inside.

The cave was considerably warmer than the snow-covered mountaintops. No snow could fall in its interior, so the ground was dray, much to Mei and her sandaled feet's relief. Inside there were torches on the wall that lit the way. _Maybe they hid in here?_ the red-head thought, leading the way. Soon the cave opened up into a chamber. There were a few rock shelves covered with expensive-looking knick-knacks, like the spoils gained from a war.

"What is this place?" Paka wondered aloud. They stepped into the middle of the cave, trying to spot something useful, like a secret passage where the citizens or Heartless could be hiding, or the Keyhole. A flash of light caught their attention, and all four of their heads snapped to it. Over a raised rock platform between two of the shelves and on the wall, a light was shining. It dimmed as the group stepped forward, revealing the black hole that lead to the heart of the Land of Dragons. The Keyhole was completely opened, waiting to be sealed.

Paka, Hiro, Mei, and Suki all summoned their Keyblades and aimed them at the Keyhole. Just like before in Twilight Town, beams of light fired from the weapons' tips, colliding together to form one, thick beam that shot straight into the Keyhole and locked it with a loud click.

"Whatever trouble these people were having, hopefully we've stopped it now," Suki said, dismissing her weapon along with the others. "We've done all we can do, I guess."

"Right," Mei agreed. "So let's go to the Gummi Ship."

The small group left the cave and the mountain, making their way back to the Bamboo Grove casually. They weren't sure which world to go to next, then decided to back-track to Wonderland to keep the promise they'd made to lock its Keyhole. When they were about halfway through the canyon, the sunlight disappeared. They didn't find anything unusual about this, since they thought the sun had just been covered by a cloud. However, it continued to get darker and darker as they progressed, and by the time they got to the camp, it was almost pitch black.

Paka stopped suddenly, causing the others to follow suit and turn to look at him.

"Something's not right," he whispered. He looked up at the sky to see that it was covered in black. "What's that?" He turned around and looked back at the path. He could see only a couple hundred yards back, for the rest was completely darkness. It was as if a tidal wave was rushing over the landscape, swallowing everything in its path.

"It's coming straight at us!" Suki cried.

"Run!" Mei shouted, grabbing Suki and Hiro's wrists and starting to pull them down the path. Paka was quick to follow and they raced towards the Gummi Ship as the darkness chased after them.

Wrenching the door open, Mei pulled Hiro and Suki inside the ship. Paka hopped in and took a seat in the cockpit, punching buttons frantically in effort to get the vessel off the ground. The wave of darkness was almost on top of them by the time the ignition came on.

"How can this be happening?" Suki asked incredulously. "We permanently sealed the Keyhole! Did we do something wrong?"

"What is that thing?" Hiro gasped, pointing out the window. The two girls quickly came to his side and peered out the window. The ship was starting to fly through the air, but they couldn't tell due to everything around them being black.

However, there was a pair of huge, glowing yellow orbs glaring up at them.

"A Heartless!?" Mei exclaimed. "How is it so big, so close? Paka, what's our altitude?"

"36,000 feet," he answered, swallowing hard. "And the radar says there are no flying vessels or Heartless ships around us."

The youths' faces paled as they exchanged looks. This was that giant Heartless that the Organization had created. This was the monster that had killed Riku and Kairi.

If it hadn't been so dark all around them, they would have been able to see what the Heartless looked like. They were thankful when they left the Land of Dragons completely, leaving the giant Heartless behind without getting a good glimpse of it. The tense Key-Bearers relaxed slightly as the Gummi Ship sailed through space.

"Land of Dragons is gone," Suki spoke softly and with a great amount of regret in her tone, "consumed in darkness. We could stop that… that thing!" Paka came over -- having put the ship on auto-pilot -- and put his hand on her shoulder.

"There was nothing we could do, Suki," he reassured her. "Even Sora and his friends couldn't stop it."

"Hey, where'd all the stars go?" Hiro inquired. Sure enough, the sky was almost empty; practically all the worlds were gone.

"I think that Heartless destroyed them all," Mei answered. "I think… that Heartless can consume any world's heart, whether the Keyhole is unlocked, locked, or permanently locked. All the worlds -- at least the ones that are left -- are in danger."

"What do we do to stop it?" the young brunette replied.

"Well, we can't stop it on our own," Paka started. "And Sora and his friends couldn't beat it on their own. But I bet if we all work together, we can beat it."

"You're right," Suki declared, pulling out the drawing of Sora, Kairi, and Riku. "We've got to go remind the Keyblade Master what his job is." Paka nodded and took the controls of the ship to fly it manually. The vessel changed course in a new direction. They were headed to one of the last stars in space, the one world that was never supposed to exist: The World That Never Was


	11. The Final Decision

**Chapter XI:**

**The Final Decision**

"Something isn't right."

This is what Sora said as he and Axel stepped out of Beast's castle. Axel paused and looked down at him, puzzled.

"Whaddaya mean 'something isn't right'?" he asked, scratching the back of his head. "We collected a bunch of hearts from the Heartless, and we haven't even consumed the Keyhole yet. I know you're guilty about losing the princess and your other friends, but-"

"No, it's not about that," Sora interrupted. "It feels… darker. Like something's pushing down on my heart."

"Weird that you say that. I may not have a heart, but something's pushing down on something inside of me, too."

Sora looked up at the sky, trying to figure out what it was that was bothering him. He felt like something was missing. It wasn't anything incredibly personal, like a memory - though he knew something was wrong there too - but something more massive, something very important to the entire universe.

"Light," the brunette stated suddenly, jerking his head down to look at Axel. "Axel, where are all the worlds?" Axel just shrugged.

"Beats me," he replied. "Maybe the Organization finally got busy."

"So they consumed _all_ the worlds?"

"Nah, what makes you think that?"

"There're hardly any worlds left. I can feel it. There's less light in the universe."

"I dunno. But if that's the case, you should be thankful. Kingdom Hearts must be almost complete. C'mon, we've gotta finish our mission." Axel started to walk off, but Sora hesitated. After a brief moment of silence, he ran after him.

"Aren't you worried?" he asked. Axel laughed.

"Nobody, remember?" he chuckled, tapping his temple with his index finger. "Couldn't worry if I wanted to."

"Oh, right."

The two walked across the courtyard in silence. They reached the large gates that led to the bridge, but Sora paused. He extended his right hand to summon the Keyblade, but it didn't appear right away. He was thinking hard. The last two years of his life, he had been working hard to keep all the worlds alive and well, risking everything for the benefit of the rest of the universe. Now he was tearing all of that apart, doing exactly the things he'd been trying to stop. Was he really that desperate?

"Yes," he muttered quietly. Axel heard his voice, but looked like he didn't hear what he said. He went to the boy's side and put his hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, you'd rather us blow up the worlds than that Heartless," he attempted to justify. "At least this way the hearts will go to a good cause."

Sora grunted an acknowledgement, but said nothing more. He just stepped forward so Axel's hand fell from his shoulder and he raised his hand again. The Keyblade was quick to flash into his palm and upon its appearance, a space on the bridge a few yards ahead started glowing. The Keyhole revealed itself, unlocked and waiting for either the light or darkness to enter it. Sora knew he had a choice, one or the other. What he picked would greatly affect this world.

"Sorry," was all he could manage before a beam of darkness ripped from his weapon's tip and consumed the Keyhole. He dismissed the Keyblade and turned to Axel, a blank expression on his face. The redhead tried to give him a sympathetic grin, then opened a Corridor of Darkness so the two could escape before the world was gone for good.

When Sora stepped out of the corridor and into the Grey Area of The Castle That Never Was, the first thing he noticed was it was really empty. Not that he frequented the space much, but he knew most of the Nobodies hung out there when they didn't have anything else to do. So they had to be out on a mission, which meant Axel could have been right about the Organization getting busy.

He couldn't really complain, though, since no one would be around to try to kill him. He took a few more steps forward and Axel emerged from the darkness behind him. He let out a low whistle.

"It's been a while since the castle's been this empty," he commented, folding his arms over his chest as the Corridor of Darkness disappeared. "Well, I'm going to my room to get some rest before Mr. Superior decides to send me to do some other little chore. You should do the same. Who knows what you'll have to do once Kingdom Hearts is finished."

"Hey, where'd you say you were goin'?" a voice interrupted. The two turned around to see Xigbar in the hallway. "I hope ya didn't have anything _too _important planned, since the Superior gave you a mission with me."

"Ugh, already?" Axel whined. "I don't ever get a break from the guy. Well, whatever. See ya later, Double XIII."

The two older men walked away, leaving Sora behind and alone. He sighed, wondering what he should do. He glanced out the large glass wall at Kingdom Hearts. It was just as big and bright as it had been a year ago. Shaking his head, the brunette decided to take Axel's advice and got to his quarters.

Sora walked down the halls to his room, expecting to run into no one. Again he was surprised when he turned to his hall and saw Xion standing near his doorway. She jerked her head up when she heard him coming, a soft smile appearing on her face as their eyes met. Sora paused, a little confused as to why she was hanging around his room again.

"Hello, Sora," she greeted warmly, but there was a certain edge to her voice. It was this that caught his attention.

"Hi," he replied slowly, cautiously. "What are you doing here, Xion?" The ravenette's eyes dropped from him suddenly and she turned her head away.

"I need to talk to you," she explained, "…about something important."

She looked up at him hesitantly, and he cocked his head to the side, still puzzled. _Come on, Sora! I want to show the raft! It's really important! _The girl-like-Xion's voice came back to him. He shook his head, trying to focus, and noticed Xion was offering him her hand. After a short deliberation, he took it.

Sora's vision blacked out briefly again and he could see himself standing on the deck back on the Destiny Islands. He was sitting down and a feminine figure was next to him, watching the sunset. He wanted to badly to see her face, to know who she was. Why did all of this feel so familiar?

'_Sora, don't ever change.'_

Sora's vision returned and he realized he wasn't in the same hallway anymore. Xion was standing next to him on the second floor of the Hall of Empty Melodies and had just let go of his hand.

"What just happened?" he asked.

"Nothing," she answered. "You looked kind of blank, but I brought you here anyway. I wanted to get all the way outside, but you started stumbling."

Sora wasn't sure what was going on or why it was happening, but now that he was alone with Xion, maybe he could get some of his questions answered. He opened his mouth to speak at the same time Xion did, so he quickly shut it and let her talk first.

"This can't wait," she warned him, as if apologizing for some reason. "When you're around me, you feel different, don't you?"

Sora's brow furrowed slightly. How did she know that? Was she really doing something to his mind? If so, why, and why was she telling him now? He couldn't find his voice to ask her any of these questions, so Xion continued.

"There's a part of you missing," she said bluntly. "Whenever I'm around you, that part starts to come back. When I'm around, what do you see?"

"I don't really see anything," he replied. "I mean, I hear a voice, and it sounds like you. And before… there was this girl… Exactly what part of me am I missing?"

"It's a memory. But not just one memory. What you're missing is a bunch of memories that are so important, they make a person. Me."

"You? You're… my memories?"

"Kind of. I would exist without your memories, but I would be nothing more than an empty, faceless shell. Lower than even the Dusks or any other Nobody. But because of your memories, I can think for myself and look real. Your memories gave me life. Now I want to help give it back.

"Riku isn't the only person you've lost. I'm sorry I took your memories of her, because she was just as dear to you as Riku. But there's a way you can get those memories back and bring her back. The only problem is that you have to remember her to get your memories back, which is something you don't have. I could tell you everything about her, but you still wouldn't be able to remember. The only person who could have rewritten your memories is gone along with the girl you're missing."

There was a long pause after Xion finished. Sora was shocked to learn that there was, in fact, someone he was missing. He'd seen her in his mind, and now knew in his heart that she was important to him, and that he should be working to save her too. But who was she? From what Xion had said, it sounded like it was impossible to bring her back.

"Can you tell me one thing?" he inquired finally, and the ravenette gave a small nod. "What is her name?"

"-," Xion answered, but no name came out of her mouth. Sora gave her a confused look, and she hung her head. "You didn't hear me, huh? Roxas couldn't hear it either. Her name is lost just like your memories. I can't tell you who she is. Someone else who remembers her will have to-"

Xion stopped suddenly and her eyes shifted away from Sora to something behind him. He turned around to meet the gaze of his Nobody, who was staring between the two of them. Roxas' eyes finally stopped on Sora, and he slowly began to speak.

"How long have you two known each other?" he asked, but his voice was slightly shaky, as if he was anxious about something. Hearing the question in the tone he'd used, Sora realized that Roxas and Xion must have known each other pretty well. How well?

"Just since before our last mission, Roxas," Xion answered, seeming to sense the uneasiness between the two boys. "Um, do we have another mission already?"

"No," Roxas stated. "I was just looking for you." He glanced at Sora one more time before starting to turn away. The brunette was quick to take a couple steps after him, causing him to stop.

"Wait a minute," Sora began. "How long have you known Xion?"

"Longer than I've known you," the Nobody answered, his tone guarded.

"What all do you know about her?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sora raised a brow at his Other. He was definitely hiding something. He glanced over at Xion, who turned her head away and looked at the ground.

"Well, did you know she took some of my memories?" Sora questioned Roxas, looking back at him. The blonde shot a surprised look at Xion - as if he couldn't believe she'd told him - before making eye-contact with Sora again. However, he said nothing.

"Roxas," Sora sighed, frustrated, "if you knew, why didn't you tell me? You know I'm missing someone! And if I don't find out who she is in time, I'll never see her again!"

"Don't get mad at me!" Roxas snapped. "I'm not about to let you take Xion away again!"

"What?"

"If you remember, she'll disappear!"

"Roxas-" Xion tried to intervene, but he continued.

"Just because you have a heart and you're real doesn't mean your memories or your friends are any more important than mine!" Roxas shouted.

"_Your _memories?" Sora repeated, incredulous. "What does that have to do with anything? You're not going to lose anything!"

"Shows what you know. Besides, how important can those memories be if you've completely forgotten? I bet you don't even know this girl's name!"

"Shut it, Roxas! It's not my fault I can't remember!"

"Then what will you miss if you never do?"

Throughout the entire exchange, Sora's patience had been growing thinner and thinner. Who was Roxas to hide such important things from him, then tell him that his lost memories and friend didn't matter? The last retort was the last thing he wanted to hear, and when Roxas said it, Sora's jaw clenched and light flashed from his hand. The Nobody noticed this and tensed up as well. It was obvious the two boys were bracing themselves for a fight.

However, before either one of them could make a move, Xion dashed between them and spread out her arms, becoming a human shield. The two relaxed a little and stared at her.

"Xion, move," Sora commanded, but she shook her head.

"You're going to get hurt," Roxas warned, but Xion wouldn't budge.

"You are not going to fight!" she cried, glowering at them, but there was regret in her eyes. She first turned to Sora. "He's allowed to be upset. This is just like last time… I disappeared to return your memories to you. Everyone forgot me… But there was a part of Roxas that remembered, and he brought me back. He doesn't want to lose me completely again. But…

"Roxas, you know this is my choice. You know that I'm going to make the same decision I did last time."

"Xion, you can't-" Roxas started.

"Listen," Xion stopped him. "I can't live with knowing - will never come back because of me. I am glad that you brought me back. I've liked being able to be with you and Axel again. But being around isn't what's meant for me. I'm supposed to help make things normal again. I collected hearts to complete Kingdom Hearts. All that's left for me is to help Sora remember her. Don't be sad, please. You'll remember me, now. I'm in Sora's memories, and I will be even after - comes back. I'll be part of him, and you can be too. Things will go back to the way they were, and this time no one will be forgotten."

A long silence passed between the three, and Xion and Roxas never stopped looking at each other. Sora felt really guilty about Xion, but if this was her choice, no one could stop her. Finally, Roxas let out a defeated sigh and hung his head.

"Fine," he muttered, sounding broken. "If that's what you want. But now what do we have to do?" Before he could get an answer, the ravenette closed the distance between them and threw her arms around him.

"Thank you, Roxas," she whispered. He was too shocked at first to move, but eventually hugged her back. Sora crossed his arms over his chest and smiled at the two. They were like siblings, and he was glad it had been Xion to make the final decision. At least they would always be together as one inside him.

"We've got to get to Kingdom Hearts," Xion answered after a short while, and the two broke apart.

"Right," Sora agreed. "We have to hurry-"

"What's the rush?" a deep, almost smug voice asked from behind Roxas and Xion. The two parted further to reveal Xemnas. "Do you really think you're going to get to use Kingdom Hearts first, if at all? You'll be lucky if we even let you near the Altar of Naught."

"But you said if I collected hearts, you'd bring my friends back!" Sora exclaimed, a mixture of painful emotions exploding from his voice.

"You won't have any luck guilting me into it, boy," Xemnas sneered. "I don't have a heart to care. I've finally got what I want. Kingdom Hearts is mine."

"You lying, two-faced Nobody!"

Sora charged forward, not really sure of what he was going to do, but knowing he wanted to tear Xemnas apart if he could. Roxas and Xion were quick to get in his way and hold him back, telling him to calm down and fighting would get him nowhere. He soon realized why they were struggling to keep him back; the rest of the members were trickling into the hallway behind Xemnas. If he started anything now, he knew Xemnas wouldn't hesitate to let them do whatever they pleased. He'd served his purpose. He was no longer of any importance to Organization XIII.

Sora stopped trying to break through Roxas and Xion and opened his hand. He thrust it to the side, trying to open a Corridor of Twilight, but nothing happened. He tried again with a little more force, and only a dim grey light formed around his hand for less than a second.

"Xemnas disabled corridors…" he muttered, making a deadly realization. He intended to kill him here and now to get him out of the way. He looked desperately from Roxas to Xion.

"We have to get out of here," Roxas whispered. "We can open a corridor once we get out of the castle."

"Xemnas is going to have us killed… there's no way we can get out in time," Xion replied quietly.

"So… are you three done chatting yet?" Xemnas asked, looking bored. "We have been waiting for years for this day. I wish to not prolong it any more." A smirk crossed his face, and the three younger members started drifting back. Maybe if they ran, they'd get lucky like Sora had earlier…

There were footsteps behind the Key-Bearers, and Sora swallowed hard, knowing it had to be more Organization members here to kill them. They were cornered. However, the footsteps sounded quick and rushed, and he soon heard huffing and puffing breaths behind him.

"You had to choose now to disable corridors," Axel panted, coming up behind Sora, Roxas, and Xion. "Your timing is terrible!"

"If you try to help them, you're putting your neck on the line as well," Xemnas replied.

"There's a bigger problem than that right now!" the redhead shouted. It was then Sora noticed Axel's face was covered in sweat, and for once he actually looked worried. "The mission was a failure. The Dark Colossus destroyed Xigbar and Neverland. It's coming to devour Kingdom Hearts!"


	12. Sacrifice

**Chapter XII: **

**Sacrifice**

Everyone in The Castle That Never Was froze on the spot. Axel's last words hung in the air and rapidly ran through everyone's minds. Sora was the first to act. He turned on his heels, grabbing Roxas and Xion's wrists, and jerking his head at Axel for him to follow. The small group dashed towards the exit of the castle, no longer fearing if they would get away in time. The only thing that mattered was if they got to Kingdom Hearts in time.

If the Dark Colossus devoured Kingdom Hearts, all of Sora's hopes would be lost. The hearts inside would be gone forever. It wouldn't matter if he remembered the girl Xion told him about; he would never see her or Riku again.

Luckily, as they ran, they heard Xemnas order the Organization to go up to the Altar of Naught. It was going to have to be a last stand against the giant Heartless if they hoped to save Kingdom Hearts. But Sora knew, deep down, that even with the entire Organization combined, they wouldn't be able to stop the Dark Colossus. He and Riku - and probably that girl - had tried and failed. The Organization was mostly dark, so how could the balance be restored if darkness fought darkness?

Only a strong light would be able to silence the excess darkness that was the Dark Colossus. _Those Key-Bearers,_ Sora thought. _Where are they?_ Perhaps they could help.

"Axel!" Roxas shouted, breaking Sora's thoughts. "Why did it take Xigbar? He's a Nobody, no heart!"

"I dunno," Axel replied, still exhausted from the previous running and the full-out sprint he was in now. "I think it wants to consume everything and have all the power in the universe."

The group fell into silence as they reached Nothing's Call. They were soon running down the bridge and landed on the streets of The World That Never Was.

"I've got this," Axel declared and opened a Corridor of Darkness, but Xion grabbed his shoulder before he could go inside.

"Look," she said, pointing up towards Memory's Skyscraper. Sora turned to look, expecting to see the Dark Colossus coming at them, but that wasn't what it was at all. A brightly colored Gummi Ship - one that Sora knew very well: Highwind - was lowering towards the ground. He knew that he had left the ship with Master Yen Sid, so the only people who could have it were the other Key-Bearers.

He turned to explain this to the others, but saw the smiles of recognition on their faces. So they had all met them. That would definitely make things easier. The four Organization members silently agreed to wait for them to land. What Sora knew was needed was finally here.

The four Key-Bearers appeared, coming over the hill towards the castle. Upon seeing them, Xion briskly walked forward, straight to the girl Sora recognized as Suki.

"You're all okay," Xion said softly, seeming grateful. She looked at them and addressed them all by name. "Hiro, Paka, Mei… Suki. Do you still remember-"

"Yes," the violenette answered. "Hiro did too, but I don't know why…"

"I was wondering about that too," Xion replied. "I think it's because he never met Sora. When you saw him, - hadn't been forgotten, right? Well, it doesn't really matter. We have to hurry!"

"Yeah!" Axel called to them, looking impatient. "The Dark Colossus could be here any minute! Let's go!" Before anyone said another thing, they all entered the Corridor of Darkness.

The corridor reopened at the Altar of Naught, which had by some miracle not been affected by Xemnas' corridor disabling act, probably because it was outside. Sora was first to step out, followed by Roxas, then Xion, Suki, Paka, Hiro, Mei, and finally Axel. They had a rather large group now, so all of them combined could defeat the Dark Colossus, right? But something told Sora that wasn't true. They needed just one more thing… or rather, two more people.

"Suki," Paka said, nudging her, "don't you have something to do?" Suki reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, folded piece of paper. She looked at it, then hesitantly looked up at Xion.

"Go ahead," she encouraged, absently grabbing Roxas and Axel's hands. "I'm ready."

Suki walked over to Sora and slowly started unfolding the paper.

"Sora… this belongs to you," she told him. "It's something very dear and close to you. Xion made me take it a while back when I met her. She said your friend's name might not be inside you anymore. Maybe this will help." She flipped the paper over and handed it to him. He took it and stared at it for a moment.

He could easily recognize himself and Riku back home on the little islet with the Paopu Tree. There was a large space in between them, large enough to fit a person. He stared at that spot for what felt like a long time, thinking back on all the flashbacks he'd had, trying to remember the girl.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Xion let go of Roxas and Axel's hands and come to his side. Tentatively, she reached out and touched his shoulder. But when his vision blacked out this time, the image in his mind was as clear as day. He saw the girl as she smiled and opened her mouth.

'_Don't ever forget: I'm always with you.'_

Xion let go and Sora's vision returned, his eyes still locked on the empty space between himself and Riku. Slowly, the girl's image faded into the drawing until it became a recognizable person.

"Kairi," he stated softly. He couldn't remember much about her, but he knew her name. He remember _her,_ at least.

Happy expressions appeared on the Key-Bearers' faces, but Xion, Roxas, and Axel looked torn. Sora watched as Xion left his side to go to her friends.

"I'm going to have to go now," she told them, "before it's too late."

"Are you sure, Xion?" Roxas asked, sounding saddened despite the fact that he was a Nobody. "Now that we remember you and Kairi, you can both exist." Xion shook her head.

"We could," she agreed. "But I wouldn't be the same. I am who I am because of Sora's memories of Kairi. Taking that away would change me back into the puppet I really am."

"I guess you're right," Roxas sighed. "But I don't like having to say good-bye again."

"Don't worry. I'm more of a part of Sora now than I ever have been. I'll never really be gone. I'll always be in his heart, and so will you." She paused and turned to Axel. There was a short silence between them before Xion finally spoke. "I'm glad I actually get to say good-bye to you this time."

"Yeah, better than dragging you back here and having you run off again," Axel chuckled, but it seemed forced. "Well, don't ya get all sappy with me like you did with Roxas."

"I missed you, Axel."

"I 'missed' you too, if I can say that. You go on, though. Guess I'll just have to talk to you through Double XIII."

Xion gave a sad smile, then pulled the two boys into a hug. After a moment, she pulled away. She walked over to Sora and glanced back at Roxas and Axel one last time before holding out her hand. However, she paused and looked over to the Key-Bearers.

"Thank you all so much." She turned her attention to Sora. "Oh, one more thing. When he comes back, Tell Riku I said thanks for everything. He'll know what I mean."

Sora nodded and grabbed Xion's hand. His vision didn't black out and he watched as Xion's body began to glow. It became brighter and brighter until he was forced to look away. The entire Altar of Naught was enveloped in light for a moment, and when it suddenly dimmed, Xion was gone.

"Sora…?" Mei began hesitantly, taking a step towards him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he answered, his throat a little dry. "I remember now. Everything." He paused and looked down at his chest, placing his hand over his heart. "Thank you, Xion."

"Sora." The brunette looked up at Roxas to see him unzipping his cloak to reveal his usual attire.

"I think I have to be whole now," Roxas continued, discarding his cloak to the ground. "That way you can open Kingdom Hearts and get this show on the road."

"Oh, so now _you're_ going to ditch me?" Axel muttered. "What a day." Roxas laughed lightly, looking at him.

"You know I have to," he replied. "I wasn't supposed to exist in the first place, much less come back a second time. Xion made me realize that."

"Yeah… too bad I have no where to go. But hey, at least Mr. Hero's still around. I guess I'll have to settle with him. Man, it stinks not being able to feel…"

"Axel, you have feelings. You have to."

"Sure, sure. Well, you do, I'm certain about that. So do what you gotta do before you start crying or something." Axel paused a moment to look at Sora. "And you'd better be nice to your Nobody! I'm still around to get ya if you don't." He smiled a little, then started to look back at Roxas, but couldn't seem to bring himself to do it. So he just waved at the blonde, staring at the ground.

Sora quickly tore off his cloak so that he was in his regular clothing too. If Roxas wasn't in the Organization anymore, then neither was he. Double XIII was no more. Roxas walked over to Sora, a broken grin on his face.

"I just remembered something," the Nobody said as he stopped in front of his Other. "I'm gonna get to be with Naminé again. So you better take better care of Kairi this time!"

"Don't worry, I will," Sora assured him. Roxas spread out his arms and light glowed from him like it had with Xion. Roxas soon faded to nothing as Sora grew brighter, and then the light died away and Roxas was gone too.

"This has really put a damper on my day," Axel commented, folding his arms and looking away. "Open Kingdom Hearts so something happy will happen for a change."

Sora nodded and started to turn to the other Key-Bearers when suddenly there was a loud crash and the entire castle shook. Sora stumbled forward but remained standing, then started looking around.

"W-What was that?" Suki asked, grabbing onto Hiro's hand.

"Over here!" Paka shouted. He was over to the edge of the platform, overlooking the streets in front of The Castle That Never Was. The others came over and looked to where he was pointing.

"Is that the Organization?" Hiro asked.

"Yeah," Sora replied. "But I thought Xemnas told them to come up here."

"He must've changed his mind," Axel reasoned. "The threat's down there." There was a short silence as everyone realized what he meant. They looked closer and could see a large, dark mass making its way through the city.

"It's that Heartless, isn't it?" Mei asked, but no one had to answer her to know it was.

Most of the Dark Colossus' body was hidden by the many tall buildings in The World That Never Was, but part of its back reached over the tops so it was visible. That was all that could be seen, but that was enough to make everyone realize the severity of the situation.

"Organization XIII isn't enough to stop it," Sora stated quietly. He pulled back and looked up at Kingdom Hearts.

After a short moment, he turned back to the others.

"Suki," he called to get her attention. She spun around and so did her friends. "Really, all of you. Thanks so much for trying to fix things. You've done a lot of stuff to help me. Now I need you to do one more thing." His Keyblade appeared in his hand. "I need your help unlocking Kingdom Hearts."

The four nodded and summoned their Keyblades as well. They came to Sora's side, Suki and Mei on either side of him, Hiro and Paka on the outside. They raised their Keyblades and pointed them at Kingdom Hearts. Suki, Mei, Paka, and Hiro's weapons each fired a thick beam of light that collided together much like what happened when they locked a Keyhole. Sora's Keyblade then fired a beam straight into the intersection of the others', making a bigger and brighter beam than ever before shoot to Kingdom Hearts. When the light touched the moon, there was a loud boom much like a thunder clap and a brilliant light flashed from it, blinding the Key-Bearers and Axel.

When it was a little less bright, Sora forced himself to open his eyes to see two orbs that had retained their blinding light. They floated from Kingdom Hearts down to the platform of the Altar of Naught, hovering just above the ground. They flashed briefly, then the whole area dimmed. In the place of the two glowing orbs were two figures sprawled out on the ground.

Sora stared at them almost in disbelief as they stirred, slowly beginning to push themselves off the ground. He slowly took a couple steps toward them, and they lifted their heads. When their eyes met, he couldn't move forward anymore.

"Sora?" Kairi whispered, seeming to be stunned as well.

"You did it," Riku said quietly, grinning at the brunette as he and Kairi stood.

Without a word, Sora dashed forward and threw his arms around his two best friends. It didn't take them long to hug him back.

"Kairi. Riku," Sora breathed, so happy to see them that his voice cracked a little bit. "I'm so glad you're okay! I missed you so much."

"We knew you could do it, Sora," Kairi told him. "I wasn't afraid when I felt myself disappear. I knew you'd get our hearts back."

"Now everything's right," Riku added. "We're back, the Dark Colossus is gone, and everything is balanced again."

Sora's embrace around his friends loosened slightly, and he started to step away. Riku cocked his head at him.

"You _did _get rid of it, didn't you?" he asked. Sora couldn't answer, just looked away uneasily. Kairi swallowed hard, but reached out and took his hand.

"It's okay," she assured him. "We can get rid of it together… can't we?" She sounded unsure, and with good reason. If they hadn't been able to beat it the first time, how could they now?

That was when Riku and Kairi's eyes fell on the other four Key-Bearers, who still had their Keyblades drawn and had been watching the scene with humbled expressions. Before anyone could ask, Mei stepped forward.

"Riku, Kairi," she began, "it's nice to meet you. The King told us a whole bunch about you. My name's Mei, and these are my friends Suki, Paka, and Hiro. The King asked us to help you."

"So we're gonna kick that Heartless' big, dark, stupid butt!" Hiro finished confidently, giving a little slash with his Keyblade, SuperStar. This made everyone laugh a little, making almost everyone forget about the danger lurking outside the castle.

But not everyone completely forgot. Although he'd been watching everything unfold, Axel had kept one eye on the Organization's fight down below. Things had been going poorly, and he was able to count one by one as each member seemed to disappear after going in to face the Dark Colossus. He turned his attention away from the ground below for just a moment to half-smile at the laughing Key-Bearers, and when he looked back, the streets of The World That Never Was were empty.

He glanced back at Sora and the others before scanning everything he could see from the Altar of Naught. By the time he'd looked all the way around and back to Kingdom Hearts, everyone had become aware of the large shadow forming on the ground. Axel looked at the heart-shaped moon to see a giant, almost dragon-like creature flapping its huge, translucent wings to guide it to Kingdom Hearts.

"The Dark Colossus!" Axel exclaimed in unison with Sora, Kairi, and Riku, who'd also just noticed it.

The Dark Colossus was several hundreds of feet tall, and that was probably half the size of its length. Its head was large enough to cover the Altar of Naught, and it had razor sharp teeth poised in a permanent snarl. Two horns curved off the top of its head, one a very dark blue, and the other a deep, almost black red. Other than the Heartless symbol on its forehead and its glowing, yellow eyes, everything was pitch black. On its chest was a hollow hole with strips of flesh barring it up like a jail cell. Each foot on its four, muscular legs had three long, sharp talons, and its tail split into three separate parts at the end connected by thin webbing. Each tail had a claw-like horn on its tip.

However, the strangest thing about the gargantuan Heartless was the spot between two of its four large spikes on its back. A purple glow seemed to emit from it, and though it was too far away to be seen, Sora, Riku, and Kairi knew cracks split from this spot like shattered glass. Right before Riku and Kairi had been run through by the Dark Colossus' claws, they had crashed a hole into the Heartless' back, creating a crater. The spot had seemed to get worse over time, and surely the dark creature was not far from splitting apart.

The Dark Colossus flapped its mighty wings towards Kingdom Hearts, its jaws apart and ready to tear into the massive collection of hearts.

"We have to stop it!" Paka cried, starting to run forward and raise his Keyblade, but Riku grabbed his arm and held him back.

"We can't attack it from here," the silvernette replied. "It could crush this entire castle in one swing."

"We have to get it away from Kingdom Hearts," Suki said. "But how?"

"It goes after the most powerful thing in the universe," Sora explained. "It won't be interested in us until Kingdom Hearts is gone."

"But if Kingdom Hearts is gone, won't this world disappear?" Mei asked.

"Yep. That's why we have to get out of here," Axel answered. "There aren't any other worlds you can go to, but if you could open a corridor to the Realm of Twilight, you might fare better against it. At least, better than if I opened a Corridor of Darkness for you."

Sora gave a nod, understanding. He waved his hand through the air to open a Corridor of Twilight, but before anything could appear, an earth-shattering tremor shook the castle and a wave of darkness pushed everyone off their feet. Sora hit the ground on his front side, but he was quick to pull himself up to his knees and look up at Kingdom Hearts. Darkness was pouring from it and the Dark Colossus was slashing and snapping at it, like a lion devouring its prey. Without even thinking, Sora stood up and gripped his Keyblade with both hands, and with a grunt aimed it at the Heartless to fire a beam of light. The light erupted from his blade and made direct contact with the crater in its back, causing it to roar and snap its attention to everyone standing on the Altar of Naught.

Glad that he'd diverted its attention but frustrated knowing he'd made a bone-headed move that could get them all killed, Sora opened a Corridor of Twilight.

"Get in!" he shouted, grabbing Mei's wrist and ushering her inside. "Hurry!" He shot a glance up at the Dark Colossus, seeing that it was flying straight at them. Suki pulled Paka inside the Corridor of Twilight after Mei had entered, and Kairi and Riku were helping Hiro to move quicker since, due to his light weight, he'd been thrown the farthest by the tremor.

Something hot flashed just behind Sora and he spun around. Axel had his chakrams in his hands and had shot a fireball at the Dark Colossus to keep it back. The brunette's expression grew concerned as he recognized this situation.

"Axel," he started, but Axel cut him off.

"Stop wasting time!" he yelled, throwing another fireball. "Get out of here!" Hiro was about to step into the corridor when he heard this, and he stopped in front of the corridor. Kairi whispered his name and Riku continued to try to push the young boy inside, but he wouldn't budge.

"Axel," he called out quietly. "Aren't you coming?" There was a heavy silence and Axel froze in the middle of throwing one of his chakrams. After a moment, the redhead sighed and glanced over at him.

"What do I have to live for?" he replied sullenly. "Somebody's gotta hold that monster back… huh, well more like Nobody."

"No, I'm not going to let you do this again!" Sora exclaimed, starting forward. Riku gave up on Hiro and rushed to his friend, holding him back. Hiro, now without resistance, followed the older brunette's lead and ran toward Axel. However, a wall of fire sprang up between the Key-Bearers and the Nobody, forcing the youth to stop.

"Axel!" he shouted again, but the other didn't look at him. His attention was focused on the Dark Colossus and holding it off again.

"Just get outta here," he told him firmly.

Sora broke free from Riku's grasp and went up behind Hiro, placing his hands on his shoulders. Hiro seemed surprised at first, then realized that they had to let Axel go. It was his own choice, and there was nothing anyone else could do about it.

Riku and Kairi exchanged looks before glancing at the Keyblade Master, who nodded his head toward the Corridor of Twilight. His friends understood and disappeared in the portal, and Sora led Hiro towards it. By this time, the entire platform was covered in shadows, the Dark Colossus coming nearer and nearer. Just in front of the corridor, the spiky brunette paused and looked back at Axel one last time.

"Are you sure you don't have a heart?" he asked, making the redhead smirk.

"Even if I did, would it matter?" The wall of flames shot up higher, blocking Axel and the Dark Colossus from view. Sora swallowed hard, then pushed Hiro forward into the Corridor of Twilight, following right behind.


End file.
